This week I am humbly inspired by human kindness worth sharing, and I hope to encourage others through this. Please read to the end so you can experience the “Tri-WIN” that this has inspired!
I’m so grateful and awed by some of the incredibly giving people whom I’ve known over the years, and this month I have been graced by another. Suzi Battaile, whom I’ve known for years as “the other fun blonde” face behind San Diego Style Weddings Magazine, has brought me a whole new concept of GIVING BACK, and she has inspired a new way to PAY IT FORWARD.
Suzi tragically lost her 24-year-old son Jake just over a year ago. He was an enthusiastic “giver” of himself, his time, and his love. He LOVED celebrating BIRTHDAYS – the cake, the party, the whole deal! His 26th birthday would have been April 22nd. Suzi called me earlier this month, asking if I would consider making a special birthday cake for someone, ANYONE, who could receive a cake in Jake’s honor on April 22nd. Well damn, when someone asks you to do something like this, you accept the honor and jump on the phone to find a worthy candidate. Ideally, she’d envisioned someone much like her son – a young, strapping man, we got close enough…read on.
My first call was to my friend Diane Nares, co-founder of the Emilio Nares Foundation (ENF), an incredible local San Diego organization whom we support each year. ENF helps underserved community families by providing rides for their children to cancer treatments (Diane’s own son Emilio died at the early age of 5 of Leukemia). During this COVID-19 pandemic, we cannot deliver outside food to most of the immune-compromised children; however, Diane found one young boy, whose 10th birthday will be May 5, and she confirmed that it was ok. Little Oliver (“Olly”) AND his mom Shannon are both currently being treated for cancer and have been housed at the Ronald McDonald House for over 2 months –they cannot be released yet due to the COVID quarantine. When Olly found out that a kind stranger wanted to send him a BIRTHDAY CAKE, he was just beside himself with JOY, YAYYYYYY!!!!
Thank you again to Suzi’s son Jake for his immense heart and love for others! His kindness continues to spread in his absence.
In honor of kind hearts like Suzi, Jake, Diane, Shannon & Olly, I created an online Square Store specifically for DONATIONS & GIFTING our goods to local organizations serving our underprivileged families of San Diego (the number of these families is GROWING due to the current shutdown, and it’s a very scary time!)
If you would like to experience this WIN-WIN-WIN (A.K.A. the “Tri-WIN”) feeling too, we encourage you to send a DIY Cupcake Kit to a local family in need.
The Benefits
- Underprivileged CHILDREN will receive a FUN activity + the whole family gets a DELICIOUS treat (wait, isn’t that already 2 WINS…?)
- You HELP a local small business stay afloat during a brutal time
- YOU feel good doing it!
- Oh, and for every 12 sold, Sweet Cheeks Baking Co. will donate an additional Kit!
Our deliveries to VistaHill.org and Home-Start.org start on Mother’s Day Weekend!!
Follow our Instagram stories for updates, recipes, and other fun stuff: @sweetcheeksbakingco.
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