The children's services director at SafePlace, Yvette Mendoza Rouen, said she heard about the Hannah Montana cake for days after it had been gobbled up by the 8-year-old birthday girl and her friends at the shelter. Had it not been for the recently formed volunteer group Free Cakes for Kids Austin , the girl staying at the shelter for victims of domestic violence might not have had a birthday cake. But volunteer Debra Gooch, a logistics manager for a company that supplies computer parts, stepped in to mix flour, sugar and eggs and make the little girl's day. "To the kids, it's a big deal that they actually get something on their birthday," Rouen said. They see that "someone is taking the time to recognize them and celebrate who they are." Free Cakes for Kids Austin Director Karen Nichols, an Austin financial analyst, said she learned about the national organization last summer. The idea behind the group — providing free birthday cakes to children, most of whom live in shelters for victims of abuse or for the homeless — resonated with her. The national group was founded in Trenton, Ga., in 2007 by a couple whose foster child cried at the sight of her first birthday cake — on her eighth birthday. Affiliates have since popped up across the country and the world. "When I heard about the mission of the organization, the thought of a kid without a birthday cake had never crossed my mind," Nichols said. "I was horrified." She decided to start a chapter in Austin. It provides cakes to at least five local agencies and shelters like SafePlace and Angelheart Children's Shelter. Since the chapter started in October, its network of volunteers has grown from just Nichols and one other person to about 36 bakers who have made at least 100 cakes for children and, occasionally, adults with disabilities. Nichols fields the requests for the birthday cakes and then sends out an e-mail to the volunteers, who bake the cakes at their own expense. The children choose a flavor and request a theme, like Spider-Man or football. The agencies let Nichols know if the children have any food allergies. "It just seems like something so simple to us, and I think it's something so profound for them just to know somebody cares," Nichols said. "It's just important for them to know that they're important." The group of bakers hasn't had to turn down a cake request yet, Nichols said. But more members would lighten the load and allow the chapter to work with more agencies. She recruits the volunteers mostly through word of mouth and through Craigslist, where she also posts ads asking for baking supply donations. For now, she said, the group does not take monetary donations. Potential volunteers, who range from stay-at-home parents to pastry chefs, submit an application explaining their baking experience, although none is required, and their interest in helping. Most of the cakes are homemade, she said. And the volunteers can get as creative as they want, Nichols said. "I just let my creative juices flow and come up with a cake," Gooch said. "It's pretty much up to me." She baked one in the shape of an 18-wheeler with chocolate frosting wheels. Another volunteer, pastry chef Stephanie Dobos, sculpted a cake in the shape of Disney's "Cars" movie character Lightning McQueen with "Happy Birthday" on the hood. "For a kid that doesn't have a birthday cake and may not have had one in his entire life, why not have one that might stand out and make them happy?" Dobos said. "A few hours a day is nothing for me for a person who has never had a cake." The children sometimes send notes thanking the volunteers for the cakes, and the agencies let Nichols know how much the gesture affected the children. But because the children are mostly in shelters with strict confidentiality guidelines, the volunteers typically don't get to meet them or see their eyes light up at the sight of their homemade cakes. Still, the volunteers, who sometimes spend hours on the cakes, say it's worth the effort. "I did a birthday cake for an 18- or 19-year-old, and that was the first cake he'd ever had in his life," Dobos said. "A birthday cake is something small, but when you don't have anyone else to give it to you ... maybe something that small can make a difference."

 

Photos featured in the article: