Every year, thousands of babies worldwide are born too early, too sick, and too small. Many of these babies are too ill or too fragile to be held or kissed by their own parents and are connected to machines to keep them alive. It's a harrowing journey in an experience that is supposed to be nothing buy joyous. Friends of mine experienced this when their beautiful son, Lawson, was born early and very ill. Happily, he is now thriving.
From February 8-14, Cake a Difference is asking bakers to get together and make and sell cupcakes to raise money to change the lives of these tiny babies. Professional and home bakers are all encouraged and it's easy to sign up.**
Click here for FAQ on the campaign. I think this is a great project to do at home with your children or at school as a classroom project.
Cupcakes are fabulous and have that unique ability to bring a smile to anyone's face. Bake up a batch of my Basic Cupcakes with Buttercream Frosting and embellish to your heart's content. Fabulous cupcake papers, sprinkles, glitter, colouring, and much more can be found at my favourite cupcake source: Bake it Pretty; they ship worldwide.
You can also investigate your local grocery stores and bulk food stores, as they often carry a wide range of amazing inexpensive decorations. They don't have to be elaborate confections (although if you'd like to, please go nuts!), anything made from the heart is wonderful.
Once you've whipped up and decorated your batch of cupcakes, take them to work, to your school, or your local community group. If there is a premature or ill baby in your family, why not take a batch of cupcakes (bought or baked at home) to the baby's hospital and spread awareness about this great campaign? From my own experiences in volunteering in an NICU, I know that medical staff, on the whole, adore sweets!
If baking is something that you equate with a trip to the dentist, however, there are other ways you can support Cake a Difference. You can simply eat them! Click here and here to see who is involved.
For the crafty folks out there, knitting or crocheting preemie cupcake-themed hats would be fabulous. Maintaining body temperature is difficult for these little ones and handmade hats make a massive difference. Here are a few links to cupcake hat patterns:
Baby Crochet Cupcake Hat
Baby Knit Cupcake Hat
Crochet Cupcake Hat with Sprinkles
How to Crochet a Cupcake Hat
Knit Cupcake Hat
Newborn Knit Cupcake Hat
Instructions for resizing to fit preemies
You can donate the finished hats to your local NICU, where I know they will be much appreciated.
I think this is an inspired campaign and Miss Friday and I will be doing our part together. We'll be baking and selling our own cupcakes and mini cupcakes and all the proceeds will be donated to Cake A Difference. I've also changed my Twitter profile picture to show my support. Click here and change yours, too.
Please leave me a comment if you're going to join as I'd love to see what you make!
* * * * *
**EDIT
Non-UK residents are more than welcome to join in the fundraising efforts. You can make a donation either by cash or online. Click here to download your copy of the fundraising pack and get started today!
0 lovely comments:
Post a Comment