Lena Nguyen was bored, stuck at home during COVID, so the high schooler started experimenting in the kitchen. She found success with macarons. Initially, she gave away her creations to family and friends, but then they started asking her to bake for parties and events. 

“I like how you can be really experimental,” says Lena of why she enjoys baking. “You don’t have to follow a recipe. When I try following a recipe, I always end up changing it up a bit. Then the end product is unique to you. No one else will do the same thing.”

When her school reopened and she attended “club rush,” where students learn about each of the school’s clubs, she looked for a baking club. But there wasn’t one. So Lena decided to create one. As volunteer at Children’s Hospital of Orange County, Lena loves helping children. She learned about Icing Smiles through a Google search, and the mission immediately resonated with her. 

The next year at club rush, the Icing Smiles Club at Fountain Valley High School in California had its own table, and over 200 students expressed interest. “Icing Smiles brought a new experience or new view in volunteering and helping out the community,” Lena says. Seven people joined the board, with Lena, now a junior, as co-president. Their goal is to raise $1,000 for Icing Smiles. 

So far, the club has hosted a few bake sales at the school. To prep for the bake sale, Lena and her classmates gather in someone’s kitchen, turn on some music — usually Taylor Swift or Gracie Abrahms — and get baking. “We’re all having fun and seeing the joy in baking while raising money for a good cause,” she says. 

Through sales of Rice Krispies treats, brownies, mochi, and pizookies (a chocolate chip cookie baked in a skillet and then served with ice cream on top), the students have raised over $600. The club also takes orders for students’ upcoming birthdays, and the money from the cake sales is donated, too. “We’re trying to raise as much as we can for Icing Smiles,” Lena says. 

The club has had a positive impact on everyone involved. Some members have discovered a newfound love for baking, and Lena hopes to recruit more members who are interested in learning how to bake. 

Starting and running the club has been a learning experience for Lena as well. “It’s a huge responsibility,” she says. “I found it a really good experience in terms of leadership and event planning. It brought me more confidence.” 

Spreading Sweetness and Awareness

On the other side of the country, in Briarcliff Manor, New York, high schooler Maya Siegel was also using the pandemic to bake. “A lot of people didn’t want to go out, so I started selling from my house,” Maya says. But Maya wanted to do more than just bake, she wanted to bake a difference. 

Maya learned about Icing Smiles through her mom, who works at Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital, and signed up to be a Sugar Angel. She’s created one Fun Cake for a medical family. Maya also donates 10% of the profits from her business, Maya Bakes, to Icing Smiles. 

“It’s amazing how much impact making cakes can have,” Maya says.

Inspired by the mission, Maya wanted to raise awareness of Icing Smiles among her peers. In February 2023, she officially formed an Icing Smiles club at Briarcliff High School. So far the students have created greeting cards for children in the organization and hosted a bake sale, raising about $150 for Icing Smiles. 

“It’s cool seeing a lot of people from my school coming together and being interested in something I am and something that’s important,” Maya says. “There are so many other people that seem passionate about it, too.”

Calling All High Schoolers

Student Smiles is the official high school volunteer program for Icing Smiles. We offer many ways for high schoolers to volunteer and gain valuable experience. 

Like Lena and Maya, students can plan fundraisers for Icing Smiles and create greeting cards for the children we serve. They can also spread the mission of Icing Smiles on social media and other online platforms. For example, Lena’s high school newspaper, the Baron News, wrote two stories about the Icing Smiles club at the high school. 

“We’ve seen the impact that high school clubs can have on students,” says Icing Smiles Assistant Director Karen Griffiths. “Not only do they provide an opportunity to pursue interests and passions, but they also allow for the development of important skills such as leadership, teamwork, and communication. The success of our Icing Smiles high school clubs is a testament to the power of student-driven initiatives and the incredible impact they can have on the community.”

Learn more about how you can help create more smiles today.

Imagine that you’ve had a hard week — medical challenges, doctor appointments, work obligations. When you check the mailbox, you find a dozen beautifully decorated sugar cookies among the bills and junk mail. You walk back inside with renewed energy and lifted spirits. 

This is the magic the Icing Smiles’ Cookie Club brings. Since November 2011, our Sugar Angels have been baking cookies by the dozen and sending them to unsuspecting Icing Smiles families who need a little pick-me-up. 

“We knew there were many bakers waiting for a cake call to action who could create custom-decorated cookies and there were also many medical families who could use a little something to smile about,” says Icing Smiles Assistant Director Karen Griffths.

Although we know every baker who signs up wants to complete a call to action (CTA) right away, cakes are assigned based on the demand in the area. For example, Sugar Angel Judi McCrain Driscoll lives in West Chester, Pennsylvania, a small town about an hour outside of Philadelphia. She received her first CTA about eight months after completing her application. 

Because the cookies are shipped, volunteer bakers aren’t limited by state. So if you’re still waiting for a cake CTA and are eager to put on an apron and bake, join the Icing Smiles Cookie Club. Here’s what you need to know. 

Humble Beginnings

When the Cookie Club launched, families were referred by administrative volunteers. There were successful-treatment cookies, in-remembrance cookies, and thinking-of-you cookies. Over the next seven years, we mailed over 750 dozen cookies to families.  

As Icing Smiles grew, the number of Sugar Angels who signed up to bake cookies also increased. In 2018, we started mailing cookies to any medical children without allergies. In 2019, we delivered 1,125 dozen cookies — more than we had done in all the previous years combined! 

Of course, we put a pause on the Cookie Club for part of 2020. These days, we’re back to shipping 50 to 60 dozen cookies a month. 

“Our cookies come as a surprise to the family, and it’s amazing how many times we’ve heard, ‘This is exactly what we needed today. How did you know?’” Karen says.

It’s all made possible thanks to our partnership with Domino and C&H Sugar. 

A New Way to Bring Smiles

We’re amazed at the creativity and passion our Sugar Angels bring to the Cookie Club. 

Sugar Angel Elyssa Croker had custom cutters made so she could create Pokémon cookies for an 8-year-old boy. Sugar Angel Candice Hughes experimented with making royal icing from scratch for her first Cookie Club CTA. Sugar Angel Angelia Keen Sikorski made under-the-sea cookies for an 8-year-old girl and a summer set for a 2-year-old girl. Sugar Angel Kelley Gildow Nesler made space-themed cookies. 

Cookie Club CTAs don’t come with a designated theme like the cakes do. Bakers receive the name, age, and gender of the child and the family’s. So when Sugar Angel Ashleigh Vaughn received her first cookie CTA, she looked to the Icing Smiles’ Sugar Angel Facebook group for ideas. Sugar Angels responded in full force with theme ideas like summertime fun, baseball, zoo animals, flowers, butterflies, and more. Sugar Angel Sara Denton shared her favorite sugar cookie recipe.

As of July 31, 2022, Sugar Angels have shipped 4,171 dozen cookies. We inform all of our volunteer bakers regarding their duty to comply with ServSafe practices; however, if families are uncertain about accepting the cookies, they can contact Karen at ad@icingsmiles.org.

New System, New Process

In 2021, Icing Smiles started a multiphase transition to a new customer relationship management (CRM) system. The new database platform means easier and faster communication with Sugar Angels and allows us to serve more families better. 

It’s also changed how we run the Cookie Club. Now, we reach out to all cookie bakers on the 20th of each month asking for their availability for the following month.

“The response was incredible,” Karen says. “We started this new system in June, and the first two months, we had twice as many bakers as we needed. As we move into Phase 2 of implementing the CRM, as cakes did this year, we will have the ability to process a lot more cookies and families than we do right now. We are currently looking at ways to increase the number of families we serve due to the large response we have seen from our bakers over the past few months.”

Adds Icing Smiles Founder Tracy Quisenberry: “We are constantly evaluating processes to see if we can make it easier so that we can take on more volume.”

For example, thanks to automated emails and the new CTA process, we will be able to serve more families with the same amount of volunteer hours. 

Do you know a family that has a child that may be eligible to receive an Icing Smile? The best way to connect them is to send them a link to our application. If you want us to do the work, we are in! Fill out our Refer a Family Form, and we will send them an introduction that includes a link to our application.

Join the Cookie Club

Do you want to bake a difference? We always love having new cookie Sugar Angels. Join the club today!

So you love baking and decorating cakes — but you’re still unsure if you have the time or skills to volunteer to bake for Icing Smiles?

You’re not alone! Most of our Sugar Angels are self-taught, and many had a few apprehensions before signing up.

Take Beth Townsend. Before she was a regular on the Food Network, she was a self-taught baker who stumbled upon Icing Smiles and thought, what the heck! “I was not a very good baker back then,” Beth recalls. “I was still learning. I applied anyway because I was like, oh, well, maybe I can do something.”

And she did! Beth has since responded to eight calls to action — or CTAs, Icing Smiles lingo for when a baker is assigned to create a cake for a family. She even recently raised $25,000 for Icing Smiles!

Now, you don’t have to do all that (though we certainly accept any and all donations and support any Sugar Angel who wants to raise funds for us!). All you need to be a Sugar Angel is a love of baking, a generous and kind heart, and a willingness to create special memories for families dealing with the critical illness of a child. 

So if you’re wondering if you have enough time or if your skills are up to par, we asked three volunteer bakers to tell us about their experiences being Sugar Angels via some frequently asked questions. 

How Do I Get Started?

To become a Sugar Angel, you’ll need to fill out the volunteer application. Do you want to create individual cakes? Cupcakes? Custom-decorated cookies for our Cookie Club? You can select one or all.

You do not need to bake in a licensed kitchen to be a Sugar Angel. However, if you are not a licensed baker, we require that you note that the cake has been donated by Icing Smiles.

On the application, we’ll ask you to provide pictures of your work or a link to an online photo gallery. We’re not expecting perfection here. We just want to see some of your magical creations. 

Once your application is reviewed and approved by our Admin Team, you’ll get added to our baker list!

How Do I Accept a Call to Action?

Our process for assigning CTAs has recently changed because we implemented a customer relationship management (CRM) tool so we can deliver even more smiles! 

With the new CRM, bakers are assigned ID numbers, making it faster and easier to track cake requests and CTAs. Now, schedulers can not only find the closest baker to the family but also ensure that the same baker isn’t receiving CTAs all the time. 

The CRM also allows us to reach out to a small number of volunteers as soon as a cake request is approved, rather than reaching out to bakers one at a time. There are multiple factors involved in deciding which baker receives a CTA, including proximity to the family, state laws regarding licensing, the date the partner signed on, and the number of cakes previously donated. 

Although we know every baker who signs up wants to complete a CTA right away, cakes are assigned based on the demand in the area. For example, Judi McCrain Driscoll lives in West Chester, Pennsylvania, a small town about an hour outside of Philadelphia. She received her first CTA about eight months after completing her application. 

When you’re offered a call to action, you’ll receive an email with the details for the cake request, including the event date, cake type, recipient, and dietary restrictions. If the request aligns with your schedule and abilities, you’ll fill out the Call to Action Response Form in the email. You’ll then receive a follow-up email confirming the CTA. This email connects you with the family and provides more specific details about the cake theme the child has requested. 

How Much Notice Will I Get?

We try to schedule our cakes as far in advance as possible and sometimes can call on bakers as early as three months in advance. However, if a medical child is terminal or hospitalized on their birthday, we allow an exception and instead only require one-week notice from our families. There also may be times when we can provide only a few days’ notice if a baker has to cancel at the last minute. In these cases, we often contact multiple bakers at once to increase the likelihood that someone will be available to accept the request.

But even with advance notice, life happens. “​​When you accept an Icing Smiles cake a month out, you don’t know what’s going to be happening in your personal life,” says Michele Holmes, a Sugar Angel who lives in Atlanta and runs Skye Confections. She’s done five CTAs and just accepted her sixth. In the month leading up to her last Icing Smiles delivery, she spent a lot of time visiting her ailing grandfather. She was able to deliver the cake in time for “Happy Birthday,” but it was a challenge, and her grandfather passed away two days later. “My personal life just so happened to overwhelm me that weekend. I struggled to get the cake done and balance my time going back and forth to the nursing home and hospice. It was really hard.” 

Sugar Angel Michele Holmes has completed five CTAs, including a disc golf basket for Jay, left, and a Lego-themed cake for Jack. She is working on her sixth CTA.

There are times that you may need to cancel due to illness or another situation. We request that you contact your Icing Smiles state representative and tell them of your situation. Please do not tell the family directly. If there is time, we may still try to find another baker. If not, we will offer the family a stipend to offset the cost of their needing to purchase a cake. We can talk to them about alternatives right away and eliminate any stress. 

Can I Turn Down a CTA?

Yes! We have a large network of partners, and you will never be obligated to accept a call to action. 

“As much as I love to accept them all, it may not work,” Michele says. “It may conflict with my current cake orders. I’ve had that happen where I’m like, man, I really wish I could do this, but I’m super booked that weekend and I have to turn them down.”

She’s also declined a CTA when the family has certain dietary restrictions that she’s not comfortable accommodating. “I’m always honest and upfront if it’s something that I don’t feel comfortable with because I want to make sure that the children are safe,” she says.

We request that the family list dietary restrictions for the child on the application. If you cannot satisfy their requirements, we will simply identify another baker.

Adds Erin Christensen, a Sugar Angel from Circle Pines, Minnesota, and owner of Custom Cakes and Cupcakes by Erin and Custom Cutters and Embossers by Erin: “If it works, great! If not, Icing Smiles will work with you. There are other bakers. It’s not like it’s all on your shoulders.”

What Size Does the Cake Need to Be?

We offer two types of cakes for our families: Dream Cakes and Fun Cakes. Dream Cakes are tiered, 3D, or carved. They require significant labor hours, and each child is currently allowed one under our program.  

Fun Cakes do not have those elements and can be used by the family for other events. They provide us with an opportunity to use more of our hobby bakers or relieve the pressure on our professional bakers who have less time. These cakes are just as important to our mission!

The sizes of the cakes vary. We only guarantee a cake with a maximum of 40 servings, and families will tell you how many people they hope to feed with the cake. “They might request a cake for 20 but, you know, you want to go big,” Michele says. “I want them to be wowed. I want them to feel special.”

How Do I Decide on the Design?

The theme of the cake is determined by the family; however, the design is all up to you! We advise our bakers not to accept pictures of cakes as examples. We don’t want to put undue pressure on you or set the family up for disappointment if the cake is not exactly like the example.

The only request we make is that for Dream Cakes you include a wow factor in the cake and try to avoid sheet cakes (unless requested by the family). Remember, our mission is to provide an escape and to help the family focus on something besides the medical world for a short period of time. 

For example, for Judi’s first CTA, the kiddo requested a unicorn firefighter, and her mom said that she is super silly. “So I made a whole mechanism to shoot out marshmallows from the unicorn’s firehose using an M&M’s Minis tube, a giant lollipop stick, and a spring,” Judi says. “It was not easy, but it was pretty cool!”

Erin spends quite a bit of time planning, designing, and making her cakes, especially ones with a lot of fondant and edible pieces. “I try to break up my time so I’m making my decorations so they have drying time, and then while those are drying for a few days, I can bake my cake layers, make my buttercream, and make sure I have enough of everything,” she says. “I try and break it up over the course of about a week for each cake, so I’m able to go between the kids and cakes and nap time and not just have one day where I’m just slammed with work.”

Do I Get to Deliver the Cake?

It depends. We ask the family to pick up the cake at a time that is agreed upon between you and the family. You can ask to deliver the cake or meet the family halfway. This is completely up to you.

There are, however, exceptions, such as if the medical child is hospitalized on their birthday or is considered terminal. If you are unable to provide delivery in this situation, we will do our best to find a volunteer to handle the delivery.

Michele has delivered most of the cakes she’s made, which has been a rewarding experience. But she’s also sensitive to what the kids and families are going through. “I’m always cognizant that they may or may not be in a position or comfortable or available to interact with me,” she says. “I try to respect the families and their space.”

In Erin’s case, the mom came to pick up the cake. For Judi’s first CTA, she handed off the cake to the dad at home but didn’t meet the family or stay for the celebration. 

For all three, regardless of if they deliver the cake or not, being a Sugar Angel is a powerful experience: “It’s a very rewarding experience,” Judi says. “It really feels really good.”

I’m Still Unsure. Should I Sign Up?

“I always tell people to just go for it,” Erin says. “You’re helping a family, helping a little kiddo. It’s super rewarding.”

Michele says being a Sugar Angel has not only been a blessing for her but also for her children: “I was able to bring my children along because I want to teach them not just compassion but also to be appreciative for things like their health and kindness and being able to serve.” 

“If you have the time, if you have the capacity, it doesn’t take a lot to be a blessing to someone else,” Michele continues. “Because it could be your family, any day, right? So to give a smile doesn’t take a lot. Even if you don’t bake, if there’s something that you can do within Icing Smiles, do it. Because you never know what that smile might do for you or someone else.”

Become a Sugar Angel

Until there’s a cure, we celebrate lives. All it requires is a love of baking and a passion for our kids. 

Tammy was asked to make a Dream Cake for Peyton’s 6th birthday back in 2017. Obviously, she knocked it out of the park and delivered a beautiful Snow White cake. Everything had to be just right, down to the hand carved Snow White topping off her masterpiece. Peyton adored her cake, and Tammy was so honored to be a part of her special day.

Sugar Angels understand that they are not just delivering a cake. They’re baking up smiles and memories to last a lifetime. Tammy didn’t let those memories end after the cake. She has remained close with Peyton and her family ever since! Coming up on Peyton’s 8th birthday, Tammy is happy to report that she is cancer free!

Bakers like Tammy prove that it takes a special person to be an Icing Smiles Sugar Angel. Want to get involved? Even if you’re not a baker, Icing Smiles has so many ways to get involved so you too can help spread happiness to deserving families.  See our volunteer page for more info!

With smiles + cake,

Megan Glynn

Icing Smiles Blog Writer (and volunteer!)