Barry and Elaine Taylor were no strangers to philanthropy. In fact, they were quite good at it! Barry sat on the board of the March of Dimes for several years in the 1980s and he and Elaine hosted fundraisers on their behalf at their Lafayette home. Always a strategic thinker, Barry would time these fundraisers with his company, Taylor Made Business Systems, sales meetings to ensure his Senior Management would be in town. Of course, no one could ever say no to an invitation from Barry!  

But something didn’t ring true for Elaine. She wanted a higher percentage of the funds they raised to go to those who needed it most – the children. She also desired to have a more active role in helping to improve their lives. So she picked up the phone and called Michaele O’Leary, HIV/AIDS Coordinator at Children’s Hospital, Oakland, who introduced her to Dr. Ann Petru in the Infectious Disease Department to find out what group needed the most funding. Their answer: pediatric HIV/AIDS. There were over 1000 kids in Northern California that were infected, affected or living with HIV and or full-blown AIDS. Elaine asked O’Leary and Petru what they needed to make the program work. Their response: solid support so they could focus on the needs of the kids and the families. Elaine said she would be willing to put time, money and energy into a program to provide for the kids. Barry and Elaine formed their own 501(C)3, and the focus of their annual fundraiser shifted to helping Bay Area children living with HIV/AIDS at Children’s Hospital, Oakland. 

During the early years, all funds raised by The Taylor Family Foundation (TTFF) were designated for the Pediatric HIV/AIDS program at Children’s Hospital, Oakland. Besides providing financial support, the foundation organized social activities during the summer known as Friday Fundays. They also planned Christmas parties and other fun events during the year designed to give the kids a break from the daily challenges of living with HIV/AIDS.