Party with a Purpose: A Heartwarming Cupcake Party in Newtown

February 14, 2013. Valentine's Day. For most people, it was just the typical annual excuse to eat candy and to make sure to tell those you love that they are loved. Valentine's Day should be an oooey-gooey sappy day of unabashed sentiment. A happy day... or at least it should be. This year, February 14 meant something completely different to Newtown, Connecticut. It was the second month after the Sandy Hook school shooting that left Newtown residents forever changed... a day too horrible to even imagine.    

One of the best parts of my job is that I get to do things that make others happy. Back in the depth of winter, a selfless woman named Vikki Grodner invited me to assist her wonderful organization, Life is Precious, in throwing a Valentine's Day party for Newtown. She called it a "heartwarming event" and invited first responders, families, and the community of Newtown to come out and forget their grief for a few hours. She did not do this for press or for pay. She organized this event (from Alabama, I might add) for no other reason than the sheer goodwill of the gesture.

One thing I know for certain is this... a cupcake is one sure way to make someone smile. Try it! Show someone a cupcake and see if they don't bust out a smile for you even before they take a bite.   That was the thought behind this event... cupcakes do seem to simply make life better, if only for a few bites. It was a day that will stick with me for a very long time. I'd like to thank everyone who contributed but especially my very good friends at ORIENTAL TRADING COMPANY who came to my rescue just a few days before the event. They sent in all of the beautiful decorations I used to make the cafeteria look festive including: cupcake stands, tissue garlands, paper lanterns, tablecloths, pennants, and tons of arts and craft supplies so the kids and families could make valentines... and lots of good memories. 

Back home in Alabama, the great folks at CROWDER GULF pitched in to help and did not ask for one thing in return.  THANK YOU Ashley & Crowder Gulf for donating to this party that made a difference for so many. Thanks to my sweet castmate and ultimate cake baking guru, Linkie Marais from Food Network Star who drove 3 hours each way to come help me. You are an angel.

Life is precious. Amen.

Visit LIFE IS PRECIOUS.com for information or to make a donation.

Parties with a Purpose: Kim's Mad Hatter's Pie Auction

We love it when we see or hear about a party that also does good things for a good cause. When we saw the photos of Kim's Mad Hatter's Pie Auction, I asked her if we could share the idea so some of you could plan your own Mad Hatter's Pie Auction for a cause you care about!

 Mad Hatter's Pie Auction

Held in Big Sky, Montana as a school benefit, this event is a fun spin on a typical bake sale!

 

The EVENT

The annual pie auction is a fund-raising event organized by parents and teachers and is this school's largest fund-raiser, bringing in thousands. This year's theme was based on Tim Burton's film, Alice in Wonderland. The Mad Hatter's Pie Auction makes money through tickets sales, live and silent auctions, and sponsorships from local businesses.

The HOW-T0

The first step is to form committees to help with various tasks. You'll need several different committees to divvy up the workload. You'll need a committee to help with ticket sales, sponsorships, promotion, decorations, to manage the auction, the food, the decorations, and of course, a committee to organize the baked goods and to display them for the actual event. 

Our friend Kim as the White QueenTHE MENU & DECORATIONS

When I'm involved with a party, I decide on my menu based on the time of day, the location, and the kitchen and serving facilities. You can have your event catered or ask committee members to bring something. For a more formal event like this one, the menu would be more substantial. For a casual event, sandwiches, lemonade, and cookies are perfect. Since this pie auction was based on the Mad Hatter's theme, decorations were pretty easy to figure out. Lots of playing cards and other iconic details from Alice in Wonderland made for an enchanting evening. This committee even had their members dress the part... Kim was the White Queen, obviously!

THE AUCTION

A live auction is always fun and gets people more excited than a silent auction.... and they tend to bid more in a live auction. You need a good auctioneer. If you don't have a professional, get someone like a local celebrity, coach, or popular teacher to really get the crowd into the event. Plant some bidders in the audience to start the bids and get the bids up. Have plenty of spotters in the crowd to help you identify bids as they go up. It's a lot of fun to have paddles with bidding numbers on them. They are easy to make with a printer, card stock, and craft sticks from the store. Use the event logo at the top. Number each paddle. As guests arrive, register them, assign them the number on the paddle they are given. It's a good idea to make the paddles colorful... and on a hot day, the paddles can double as a fan!

THE BAKED GOODS

Having different categories of baked goods is essential. Sheet cakes, layer cakes, tiered cakes, iced cakes, cakes to freeze, pies, cookies, pastries, brownies, and muffins are all good categories. To really increase your revenue, ask all of your local wedding cake bakers provide wedding cakes for auction. These will be dummy cakes, not the actual cake. Brides, grooms, and their families will bid on the cakes and the baker will produce the actual cake for the winner's wedding. That is a win for everyone. The couple gets a deal on their cake, the charity gets some needed funds, and the baker gets to do something good for the community.

I love a party with a purpose and this one is really special.... I mean, what is not to love about being able to do good things when there is a cake at the end of it!