Icing Smiles achieved a huge milestone, delivering our 30,000th cake! Join us on the journey of serving Maia, a spirited one year old battling Stuve-Wiedemann Syndrome

In the world of cake decorating and charitable endeavors, Icing Smiles stands out. Recently, we hit an incredible milestone, delivering our 30,000th cake to families in need. But behind this impressive number lies a heartwarming story that exemplifies the power of compassion and the joy that a simple cake can bring to face adversity.

Maia’s Journey

Meet Maia, a spirited one year old, who despite the challenges life threw at her, embodies resilience and strength. Born with Stuve-Wiedemann Syndrome (STWS) that presented unique medical complexities, Maia found herself under the care of Sarah, a compassionate nurse at Siani Hospital.

Months passed with Maia living in the hospital, her health becoming a daily concern for the medical staff. Among those deeply affected by Maia’s situation were Sarah and her husband, Josh. The couple felt a calling to do more for this special little girl.

The Decision to Foster

Driven by compassion and an overwhelming desire to make a difference in Maia’s life, Sarah and Josh decided to open their hearts and home to her. They became Maia’s foster parents, providing her not only with medical care but also with the love and stability she needed.

Maia’s First Birthday

The most significant milestone in Maia’s journey has been her first birthday. Celebrating this occasion was more than just a party; it symbolized the triumph of life and love over adversity. Most children with Maia’s diagnosis pass before reaching this milestone. Josh shared, “I don’t know how long this baby’s going to live. Everyone’s telling us she’s not going to make it. It could be tomorrow; it could be 20 years from now. We don’t know, but we want to give her the best life that we can.” Maia’s resilience has shone through, and her joy has become a testament to the transformative power of care and compassion.

Sherrie’s Sweets and the Mermaid Cake

To make Maia’s first birthday truly special, Sherrie of Sherrie’s Sweets, an Icing Smiles volunteer baker, stepped in. Known for her talent and generosity, Sherrie crafted a stunning ombre mermaid themed cake, not just as a centerpiece for the celebration but as a symbol of hope and happiness.

Sherrie experimented with new skills and dyed rice paper to create an underwater effect and she created fondant embellishments to top off the beautiful ombre buttercream. All of this was complete with the perfect “Maia” nameplate.

Icing Smiles’ 30,000 Cakes

Icing Smiles is honored to serve Maia as our 30,000th cake! Maia’s story is just one among the 30,000 heartwarming tales of love and generosity that Icing Smiles has contributed to. As an organization, we have been delivering custom cakes to families around the country with critically ill children – bringing joy and creating lasting memories.

Watch the Full Story

To experience the full depth of Maia’s incredible journey and the impact of Icing Smiles, we invite you to watch the touching YouTube video interview with Sarah, Josh, and Sherrie. Prepare to be inspired and moved by the transformative power of love, compassion, and a simple slice of sweetness.

Icing Smiles’ remarkable achievement of 30,000 cakes is not just a number; it represents the countless smiles, the immeasurable joy, and the boundless hope that has been brought to families faced with critical illness of a child. Maia’s journey from a hospital bed to a loving home is a poignant reminder of the impact that small acts of kindness, like a beautifully crafted cake, can have on someone’s life. Join us in celebrating Icing Smiles’ sweet success and the extraordinary stories of resilience and compassion that continue to unfold.

In a world where fundraising events are commonly held to support various causes, the concept of friendraisers is gaining momentum. Friendraisers offer a unique opportunity to not only raise funds for Icing Smiles but also spread awareness and engage with your community in a more personal and meaningful way. 

Understanding the Difference: Fundraiser vs. Friendraiser

While fundraisers and friendraisers share a common goal of raising funds, they differ in their approach and purpose. Fundraisers primarily focus on generating financial support for an organization, often through large-scale events or campaigns. 

On the other hand, friendraisers emphasize building connections, fostering relationships, and spreading awareness about Icing Smiles. Friendraisers aim to engage friends, family, and community members on a more personal level, inviting them to participate actively and become ambassadors for the cause they care about.

Everyone Knows Someone We Can Serve

The beauty of friendraisers is their ability to leverage existing relationships and networks. Everyone knows someone — an acquaintance, a friend, or a family member — who could benefit from Icing Smiles. By engaging our personal circles through friendraisers, we expand our reach and create a ripple effect of awareness and support.

“It is incredible through word of mouth who this organization can reach,” says Icing Smiles Founder Tracy Quisenberry. 

In this blog post, we will explore three friendraisers that can help support Icing Smiles.

1. Cake and Cookie Sponsorships

A cake or cookie sponsorship is when a Sugar Angel hosts a personal campaign to collect donations from their friends, family, and colleagues to not only help offset supply costs but also to raise funds for Icing Smiles. 

Icing Smiles provides all the tools you’ll need to get sponsors for your cake or cookies. In just a few short steps, you’re able to set up your personal fundraising page. We’ve made it easy by providing a template to help you get started, but you know your connections best. It can help to tweak the suggested messages or write your own to promote your fundraiser in your own style. After your page is up and running, we also provide templates you can use to reach out to your friends and family about your fundraising efforts and to thank those who donate.

This type of fundraising not only raises money for Icing Smiles. It also increases exposure for our organization and helps us expand our reach to new, previously unexplored networks of supporters. “People don’t realize it’s not just about money,” says Icing Smiles Founder Tracy Quisenberry. “It’s about telling our story.”

Cake and cookie sponsorships are important for Icing Smiles. In 2022, Sugar Angels helped bring in over $6,000 for the organization through their sponsorship pages. However, the true magic of these fundraisers is that they’re also “friendraisers.”

“By sharing about Icing Smiles and the cakes they’re making, more people are learning of our cause and mission, helping us to grow toward our organization’s goal of becoming a household name,” says Development Coordinator Chelsea Boog.

2. Violet’s Bake Sale

Violet’s Bake Sale is a classic and accessible friendraiser that taps into the power of community support. The beauty of it is that a virtual bake sale requires no physical venue. Instead, you use your phone, email, and social media to promote a personalized bake sale event page featuring different dessert packages. Then your local friends, family, and neighbors preorder which delicious desserts they would like from you, and you — or a Sugar Angel in the area who is willing to provide baked goods for your bake sale — can then bake and deliver the treats. The great part about a virtual bake sale is you receive the orders in advance. 

By involving the community in this tangible way, participants not only raise funds but also create opportunities for conversations about Icing Smiles’ mission and the impact it has on the lives of children and their families.

Whether you volunteer all the time or are still waiting for that call to action, you can host a virtual bake sale anytime, anywhere, and we’ve got all the stuff to get you started!

3. Best Cake Ever

Best Cake Ever is a peer-to-peer friendraiser that encourages individuals to showcase their baking skills and offer their favorite cake creations to raise funds for Icing Smiles. Every October, participants enter their cakes and then engage with their community to promote it, get votes, and raise donations for the Icing Smiles’ mission. 

We provide you with marketing tools for social media and email to get the word out to family and friends to vote for your cake in the form of donations! Each dollar made to each cake’s’ fundraising page counts as one vote for that cake ($1 = 1 vote, $20 = 20 votes, etc.) with all of the proceeds benefiting Icing Smiles. The cakes that receive the most votes win prizes like one-on-one cake-decorating lessons with famous pastry chefs, Icing Images edible printers, and other cake-decorating supplies from our sponsors. 

By sharing their passion for baking and Icing Smiles’ mission, participants can spread awareness while collecting donations to help us continue delivering smiles. 

Gather Your Friends to Bake a Difference

Friendraisers are an innovative and impactful way to make a difference while spreading awareness about Icing Smiles. By participating in peer-to-peer fundraisers such as Best Cake Ever, cake and cookie sponsorships, and Violet’s Bake Sale, we can actively engage our communities, involve friends and family, and contribute to the mission of Icing Smiles. 

Plus, when you volunteer to host a cake or cookie sponsorship, participate in the Best Cake Ever Contest, or host a bake sale with Icing Smiles, you will have a team of supporters behind you to ensure its success. We are here to help you and make this fun and easy for you while supporting our mission. 

Icing Smiles has served cakes to children in every state, but we know there are deserving kids and families who don’t know about us yet. 

“I am in Rhode Island, and I have noticed not very many people know about Icing Smiles,” says Sugar Angel Brittany Spitznagel. Adds Sugar Angel Leslie O’Donnell: “I’m in Rhode Island as well, and most people have never heard of it until I say something about it.”

This year, we’re focused on building awareness of Icing Smiles among families impacted by the critical illness of a child. We like to call the people who help tell our story our vision carriers.

“It is incredible through word of mouth who this organization can reach,” says Icing Smiles Founder Tracy Quisenberry. 

Here’s a look at seven ways you can spread the Icing Smiles message and help us become a household name.

1. Connect with Nonprofits

There are so many nonprofits that serve kids with chronic illnesses, from national groups like Dream Factory and Hopekids to organizations local to your area. Connect with other nonprofits that serve the same population as Icing Smiles and let them know about what we do.

That’s how Kris Koehler learned about Icing Smiles. Her 14-year-old son was granted a dream trip through the nonprofit, and someone at the organization asked if she’d heard of Icing Smiles. For Ian’s 16th birthday, he received a Harry Potter-themed cake. 

By building relationships with other organizations that share similar goals and values, Icing Smiles can leverage their existing networks to reach more families and children in need and we can work together to amplify one another’s impact.

2. Contact Hospitals and Hospices

Some Sugar Angels have reached out to local hospitals and hospice organizations to let them know about Icing Smiles. 

Sugar Angel Lisa Velesbir recommends contacting your area hospitals’ NICU or specific health centers and asking to speak to whoever is in charge of family outreach. Sugar Angel Tammy Anne says she asked her Icing Smiles rep to send her some postcards that she could pass on to her local hospitals. Sugar Angel Derry Wade also took postcards to her local Ronald McDonald House, pediatrician offices, and the children’s hospital patient services team. 

“Keep in mind that health care organizations have a lot of rules to mitigate risk,” Tracy says. “So this is not always the easiest path to families.

3. Attend Local Events

Sugar Angel Julie Fox spreads awareness of Icing Smiles by setting up tables at local events. She’s recently tabled for us at a HopeKids HopeWalk, a 5K to raise money and support for families who have a child with cancer or other life-threatening medical conditions.

“Not enough people know about Icing Smiles,” Julie says. “This is such a good way to get the word out. I really believe in Icing Smiles — and if I believe in something that somebody does, then I could talk about it forever.”

If you want to represent Icing Smiles at a local event, join our Local Outreach Team. We will ensure you are prepped and ready with the knowledge of what we are, how we work, and why we are needed.

4. Peer-to-peer Fundraise

Fundraising is great — we always need more donations. But one of the most valuable aspects of peer-to-peer fundraising is that they’re also “friendraisers.”

“By sharing about Icing Smiles and the cakes they’re making, more people are learning of our cause and mission, helping us to grow toward our organization’s goal of becoming a household name,” says Development Coordinator Chelsea Boog. 

Some common ways to fundraise for Icing Smiles are through cake and cookie sponsorships and virtual bake sales. There are lots of ways to peer-to-peer fundraise, though. For example, this past holiday season Sugar Angel Linda Cloutier donated to her local Festival of Trees, which is part of a silent auction that raises money for the charity of the donor’s choice. “I, of course, chose Icing Smiles,” she says. By participating, Linda not only raised funds for Icings Smiles but also raised awareness for our organization.

5. Pay It Forward

For all of our bakers out there, a simple way to introduce people to Icing Smiles and get them excited about supporting the cause is by baking a batch of cookies, attaching some information about us, and handing them out at work, church, your kids’ sporting events, and beyond. 

You might try adding the Icing Smiles logo or tagline — Baking a Difference — to the cookies using edible icing or frosting. Or you can print out small cards or flyers that contain information about Icing Smiles, such as a brief description of our mission, along with contact information and our website. You can attach these cards to the cookies using a ribbon or string. This can be a great opportunity to engage with people, answer any questions they may have, and get them excited about supporting us.

6. Share on Social

Of course, one of the easiest and most effective ways to get our name out there is on social media. Just one post, tweet, or Instagram story can dramatically increase awareness of Icing Smiles and our impact. 

You can write a post explaining why you care about Icing Smiles or how we’ve made an impact on your life. You can share about when you volunteer or are just thinking about the nonprofit. 

You can also follow us on Facebook, X, Instagram, and LinkedIn and sign up to receive our newsletters and blog posts. If one of our Facebook or Instagram posts or blogs catches your eye and makes you feel inspired, take the extra step and share it. The simple act of sharing could allow someone who might be eligible to receive a cake to discover us for the first time. Don’t underestimate the power of the post!

7. Wear Icing Smiles Gear

Another way to help increase awareness in your local area and show your personal support for Icing Smiles is to wear Icing Smiles gear. We have an Icing Smiles bracelet with our logo on the front and “Baking a Difference” on the back. We also offer a Sugar Angel Smile Pack, which includes a purple T-shirt, a logo patch, and a window cling. 

Sugar Angel Tiffany Michelle Stuart recently wore her pin to work and then posted about it on Facebook!

Share the Icing Smiles Story

“We’re never going to turn down a monetary donation,” Tracy says. “But there are so many other things you can do that are just as valuable. We rely on so much more than donations to provide smiles to our medical families.”

Within two months, the pain Joshua believed to be growing pains increased, revealing an aggressive form of bone cancer. For the tumor to be removed, Joshua’s leg did, too. Read more to find out how Joshua overcame these obstacles and got back in the game. 

Cracked

In Joshua’s favorite game, Fortnite, the term “cracked” means that a player’s shield is broken. In April 2019, Joshua’s shield was broken when he went to an orthopedist with severe leg pain. What was originally believed to be growing pains turned out to be an aggressive form of bone cancer known as malignant osteosarcoma. 

Devastated and facing 19 rounds of chemotherapy, Joshua and his parents also had to make a very difficult decision. His cancer needed to be removed quickly and completely, but to get all of the cancer, he would lose his right leg. Joshua had always been brave, but he proved to be a true hero as he faced the loss of his leg with optimism. 

Full Send

Just like in Fortnite, Joshua fought his enemy, cancer, at “full send”; he gave it 100% and charged into chemotherapy with determination. His leg was amputated above the knee in July. Joshua was determined to not let this stop him. As soon as he could, he got back to doing the things he loved: playing Fortnite, riding on four-wheelers, and swimming. 

Joshua’s parents proved to be fighters as well, bringing awareness to the need for childhood cancer research and new medications and treatments. They created a Facebook page called “Bomb Away Cancer” to help family and friends follow their journey and to encourage others struggling with similar circumstances. It documents their heroic journey at Full Send.

Victory Royale

Only eight months after first being diagnosed, Joshua rang the bell to celebrate no more chemotherapy. He took his first steps with a prosthetic leg just a few days later and was back in the game! 

Joshua was able to beat the odds, and to celebrate, his parents had a victory-over-cancer party. He was surprised with a Fortnite-themed cake — a Victory Royale. The day would forever mark the perseverance and strength of this brave 9-year-old boy. 

Joshua’s mother, Candice, describes the experience in her own words.

“It was the perfect celebration with family and friends. His baker was magnificent, and the cake was the center of the party. Joshua continues to talk about his cake and how he has triumphed over cancer.”

Help other children find joy as they, too, triumph over cancer. Donate today.