By Madeline Zuckerman
The Coachella Valley Chapter of nonprofit Cake4Kids, recently hosted its sold out Drag Bingo event with Ethylina Canne at The Roost Lounge, to rave reviews with a crowd of over 165 guests. Sponsored by GED Magazine, the event raised over $3,000, with all attendees truly enjoying a fun time. “Three cakes were auctioned off during the event, with the top one selling for $900,” said Ray Biller, Cake4Kids Ambassador for the Coachella Valley.
Has the thought of a child without a birthday cake ever crossed your mind?
Cake4Kids says unfortunately, this happens all the time, but the organization’s Coachella Valley Chapter is working hard to change all of that! An army of volunteers is putting a smile on kids’ faces by baking and delivering free, custom homemade birthday cakes to at-risk and underserved children ages 1 to 24 in our Valley. Cake4Kids partners with agencies and organizations throughout the country who serve at-risk and underserved youth.
“It is inconceivable to me that a child might not get this recognition on their birthday,” said Biller. “But many children in our community don’t. It’s like a wake-up call, and it is at the heart of what we do. We make these kids smile and build their self-esteem. It impacts their families too. They would love to give more to their loved ones, but are stretched so thin financially.”
The organization says youth today remain amazingly resilient, even in the worst of circumstances, but they often suffer from self-esteem issues and withdraw into themselves. At Cake4Kids the goal is to show these kids we care, in order to raise their self-esteem by delivering a smile on their birthday.
The at-risk and underserved youth Cake4Kids serves come from all different circumstances, but they have one thing in common: it hasn’t been the easiest route. Many have moved from place to place, some have suffered abuse, some have seen a parent involved in domestic violence, and some even have had to endure human trafficking. The organization shared some alarming statistics — Nationwide, there are over 440,000 children in foster care. One child in every 30 is homeless in the United States. Human trafficking is the second largest international crime industry worth $32 billion annually, and 15.5 million children live in families where domestic violence occurred at least once in the past year.
“Cake4Kids is powered by an amazing and compassionate group of local volunteers who donate all the ingredients and supplies to bake cakes for the youth in their own homes and then deliver them to our partner agencies,” said Biller. “We have no minimum commitment – – volunteers choose how often and which cakes they want to bake. Our volunteers never meet the children we support but every cake is custom-made for each child, and an enormous amount of love is baked into each one.”
“Cake4Kids Volunteer Sue Rappaport comments “Cake4Kids has been one of the most rewarding charities I’ve worked with. I get to make a difference in children lives . . one cake at a time.”
For additional information on the Cake4Kids, Coachella Valley Chapter, please call Ambassador Ray Biller at 619-417-1423 or visit www.cake4kids.org/chapters/coachella
