Nothing describes Flow Communications client Cupcakes of HOPE better than Robert Collier’s quote – “Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day in and day out.”
Repeated small efforts are exactly what Cupcakes of HOPE founder Sandy Cipriano started making in 2009, after she witnessed how her friend’s family was affected by the loss of their child to cancer. She turned her passion for baking into a compassionate action – baking cupcakes to raise money for families whose children are going through cancer treatment.
Her perseverance paid off when in 2011, she and her team of bakers set a new Guinness World Record for the most cupcakes on display – 21 000. This event raised over R200 000 for children with cancer. This year, Cupcakes of HOPE is gearing up to break the record it set in 2011; for more information, read here.
Inspired by that success, in 2012 Cipriano founded the non-profit company Cupcakes of HOPE, a community-driven project with the aim of creating awareness about and raising funds for children with cancer, by baking cupcakes. In the same year, it hosted South Africa’s first National Cupcake Day in September, Childhood Cancer Awareness Month.
“‘Doing work we love with people we like that makes a difference in the world” is more than a motto at Flow. So, in support of our client and the work it does, Flow Communications launched its own bake-off challenge to raise funds for the organisation.
“We created our Famous Flow Cupcake Bake-off challenge to support our client’s cause, and Flowstars donate R10 for a cupcake,” says Flow project manager Sally-Ann Niven.
“These cupcakes have set our office abuzz; everyone is excited. We all know that we are doing this for a great cause and it’s exciting. It’s not a big ask, and the impact it has for the cancer patients and their families is wonderful. We will see how much we’ve raised at the end of September.”
Last year Cupcakes of HOPE’s fundraising events were held at more than 50 malls across South Africa, raising R1.8-million. The funds raised have helped more than 500 children by paying for their medical or day-to-day expenses.
“The beauty of our events is that anyone can become a Cupcake Angel. All you need to do is host an event, and for a donation of only R10 people get a cupcake. I hope that through these events we are able to inspire others, aka Cupcake Angels, to also make a difference in someone’s life. No matter how small the act of love is, it will make a difference in someone’s life,” says Cipriano.
If you are interested in becoming a Cupcake Angel, click here.
“Sandy Cipriano is such an inspiring client. There’s nothing that uplifts and encourages me more than witnessing one ordinary person doing a simple act of compassion that means a lot to another person. Cancer is such an aggressive disease, and families sometimes just need a moment to breathe. Cupcakes of HOPE is just that breath they need,” says Caroline Smith, head of PR at Flow Communications.