Vista Maria is a residential facility that supports, prepares, and equips vulnerable girls for lifelong success.  I had the amazing opportunity to organize an event with Vista Maria where I helped the residents decorate cookies. I baked sugar cookies in the shape of snowflakes and Christmas trees for the girls to decorate.  I also provided the supplies, icing, sprinkles, and icing tips, that were needed for the girls to decorate. I had a great time with the girls, and they seemed to really enjoy it too. This event really got everyone in the holiday spirit.  I am extremely grateful that I had the opportunity to help these girls and hopefully add some more joy to their lives. Vista Maria likes to help the girls learn life skills, so they invited me back to do a baking lesson with the girls. I am very excited for the opportunity to go back and share my love of baking.

​I really enjoyed helping out at the First Step shelter last month, so I wanted to help out again. I was very excited to get the chance to bake for them another time because they always seem to enjoy it so much. This month’s theme was circus. I decided to bake cupcakes and decorate them like clowns.  I was so happy to hear that the kids and moms enjoyed the cupcakes and that I could add some goodness into their lives.  I am excited to bake for First Step again in the future!

Since the first time I baked for the First Step shelter, I wanted to help out at the party.  I was finally able to make it this month, and it was such a great experience.  I decided to bake chocolate and vanilla cupcakes, which I brought with me to the shelter.  When I arrived, we started to set up for the party.  As we were arriving, the woman was introducing me as the baker who makes the treats for the parties.

The theme for the party was makeup.  Inside, the moms could get professional makeovers, and outside there was face painting, nail painting, and chalk art for the kids.  I divided the forty-eight cupcakes so that there would be some in both areas, then I headed to the outside area, which was was very nice.  There was a basketball court,  playground area, and toys around.  Soon the kids were arriving, and they were so excited to see evertyhing that was planned.  Even some of the moms got their faces painted and drew with the chalk.  People seemed to really enjoy the cupcakes, and I really enjoyed helping them and playing with the kids.  I especially enjoyed playing with the kids.  I blew bubbles and pushed them on the swings.  I had forgotten how much fun that is!

The best part of the experience was getting to see how these families make the most out of their unfortunate situation.  First Step is a very nice facility, and the staff does a great job taking care of everyone.  I was happy to see that the kids were having fun and enjoying themselves, even though they are not at their own homes.

PBJ Outreach is an organization that makes lunches for the needy in Detroit every Saturday.  I have donated goods to PBJ Outreach a few times in the past.  This time, I wanted to do more, so I decided to help them in the preparation and delivery of the lunches.  I also baked some chocolate chip cookies for them to give out.  When I arrived at the church at 6:00am on Saturday, I was surprised to see so many people up at that early hour.  There were dozens of people of varying ages, and everything was really organized and buzzing with activity.  There were several different stations with people doing different jobs.  My mom and I started by making peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.  We became part of the assembly line.  It was fun, and I would have enjoyed making sandwiches all morning.  People there really enjoy this Saturday ritual, and I got a good feel for why they do.

Before we got on our way to Detroit to deliver the food, one of the people in charge told us that he has been doing this for seventeen years and that in seventeen years they had not missed a single Saturday, not even because of bad weather.  That made a big impact on me.  When we got to Fourth Charlotte Park where we would be passing out food, we saw a that a line had already formed.  I noticed that the people who volunteered regularly had made connections with the people who were getting food.  I enjoyed interacting with the community members who came through the line to get donuts from me, and I cannot wait to return to PBJ Outreach and start to make more lasting connections with people.  The same person that had been working there for seventeen years also said that people who were getting food had told him that this event was the highlight of their week.  I am glad that I was able to be part of what makes these people feel good. 

I reached out to Last Day Dog Rescue again to see if they needed any help.  I was excited to find out that they wanted me to bake for an event they were having.  I baked and decorated some dog bone sugar cookies, and I also baked some chocolate chip cookies. I was happy to get a chance to practice my decorating skills and try a new chocolate chip cookie recipe.  Last Day Dog Rescue posted a post about me and their event. Check it out! According to the event organizers, the cookies “sold like hot cakes” at the Westland Farmers Market.

Due to standardized testing, school events, and spring break, I have not been able to bake for a while.   Because I have not baked for so long, I decided to bake a lot, and for two organizations.  This week I also recruited help and baked with my friend, Sarah Williams.  I have wanted to get other people involved in Baking a Difference for a while, and since I was baking so much, I decided now would be a good time to ask a friend to help out.  We baked together for four hours.  One of the organizations that we baked for was P.B.J. Outreach.  In total, we baked over 7 dozen chocolate chip, M&M, and toffee cookies and 3 dozen banana muffins.  We also baked for First Step for the birthday party again.  This month, the theme was dinosaurs, so Sarah and I made 62 dinosaur shaped cookies for the kids to decorate.  I know that the kids really enjoy decorating cookies, so this should keep them busy.  I also baked and decorated a cake that looks like a dinosaur fossil in a dig site.  I crushed up oreo cookies to make the dirt, and I made the dinosaur fossil out of white chocolate with a candy mold.  It was really fun because I got to try something new.  Once school gets out, I am going to go to a party, and I am very excited!

​Last month, I baked cookies for First Step for its monthly birthday party for the residents.  Because I heard that the kids really enjoyed the treats, I wanted to make more for the February birthday celebration.  The theme was under the sea, so I baked starfish sugar cookies for them to decorate, and I baked and decorated cupcakes to look like a beach.  Again, I heard that the kids really enjoyed decorating the cookies.  I am glad that I could add some enjoyment into their lives, especially because the kids are not in their homes or familiar surroundings.

First Step is a shelter for women and their children if they are getting out of an abusive relationship.  Every month, there is a birthday party for the residents.  I have always loved my birthday.  I always get to have fun and celebrate it the way I want.  Because I believe that birthdays should be special for everyone, I wanted to try to help the kids have fun on their birthdays, especially because they are not in their homes or familiar surroundings.  Every month the party has a different theme, and this month was a Frozen theme.   I was trying to think of something I could bake that would also be fun.  I decided to make snowflake shaped sugar cookies and send them with frosting and sprinkles for the kids to decorate.  I also baked chocolate chip cookies. I received feedback that the cookies were delicious and a big hit with the kids. I wish I could end domestic violence completely, but for now, at least I helped make victims' lives a little brighter.

As the year comes to an end, I am reflecting on everything that I accomplished with Baking a Difference in 2017, and I am grateful for your support.  I was so excited to launch Baking a Difference LLC in April 2017, because I wanted to use my passion for baking to help charities and people in need.  Thanks to all of your generous donations, 2017 has been a busy year.
 
This year has been very fun because I got to help many worthy organizations.  In total, since April, I donated nearly 800 cookies (including chocolate chip, sugar, oatmeal chocolate chip, and shortbread), 82 cupcakes, 76 muffins, 108 dog treats, and 48 Rice Krispie treats.  Baking for organizations like Last Day Dog Rescue, our military troops deployed in Germany, P.B.J. Outreach, the Paralyzed Veterans of America, the Ford Employee Christmas Fund, Wills for Heroes, the Houston Humane Society, and the Farmington Hills Fire Department helped me to learn and develop many new skills.  I had to create partnerships and build relationships with the organizations I helped. I also had to learn how to manage my time.  School work and extra-curricular activities had to be prioritized along with baking.  Additionally, in the past year, I have learned a lot about money management.  I had to track the money I received, the money I spent and what I spent it on, and I had to go to the bank to deposit the money into an account. Starting this organization has allowed me to learn so much about baking in these past few months.  It was fun experimenting and trying so many new things, like making my own chocolate frosting, making sugar cookies from scratch with homemade icing, and making dog treats for the first time.
 
I started Baking a Difference to help people while doing what I love, and I am glad that I have this opportunity.  I have accomplished a lot in the first year of Baking a Difference, and I cannot wait to achieve even more next year!  I could not have done it without your generous support, and I thank you very much!