‘They just can’t believe it’s for them.’ Volunteers bake birthday cakes to bring joy to kids in foster care

By Alexandra Bahou

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    DETROIT (WXYZ) — Michiganders Jaime Luczak and Dana Gannon are all about spreading love, joy and frosting.

“I love to bake and I love to give to other people,” said Jaime.

Connecting with Dana through their kids’ activities, Jaime had a plan to launch a Detroit chapter of For Goodness Cakes, a nonprofit that utilizes a base of passionate volunteers to bake and deliver birthday and graduation cakes to kids in foster care and children overcoming adversity.

So, with that idea in mind, Jaime casually struck up a conversation.

“She asked me, ‘do you like to bake?’ And I said, ‘I love to bake. I would love to bake more. I want to bake all the time. I just don’t want to eat all the sweets,'” said Dana.

And the pair whisked together a plan to co-lead a chapter of the nonprofit right here.

“It’s about so much more than just a cake. It’s about sending a message of worth and just letting somebody know that they matter,” said Jaime.

The Detroit chapter of For Goodness Cakes officially launched this past summer.

“To bring this little bit of joy and happiness to their life, no matter what their journey is, is such an amazing thing,” said Dana.

Alisha Hejka is a mentoring director for Royal Family KIDS. The organization hosts camps and clubs for children in the foster care system.

She says For Goodness Cakes has made a big impact in their kids’ lives.

“A lot of them don’t even know when their birthday is. They’ve never had their birthday celebrated before,” said Alisha. “Kids can’t believe that the cake is for them. That’s the biggest reaction that we usually get from kids is that they look at the cake and they say, ‘this is for me, this is mine? I get to keep this? Can I take this home?’ And they just can’t believe that it’s for them. We’ve had many of our kids tell us that this is the first birthday cake that they have ever had.”

And here’s the thing, you don’t have to be a professional baker or froster to be part of the sprinkle squad — in fact, it’s just about love.

“So many people are looking for ways to give back … and this is such a unique and different way,” said Dana.

Right now, the Detroit chapter has just over 100 volunteers.

“You can be a volunteer from pretty much anywhere in the area as long as you’re willing to drive the cake to the agency,” said Jaime.

They’ve already fulfilled over 60 cakes for local kids. The best part: the kids get to ask for what they want.

“It’s so cool to see some of the combinations that these kids come up with … they’re very unique and eclectic. The flavor combinations, like pistachio with chocolate ice cream and strawberry cream frosting,” said Dana.

And while there may be a lot that goes into a cake, there’s a lot that comes out of it, too.

“You might not think that one birthday cake makes a difference, but for these beautiful, amazing kids and foster care, they’re not always told how special they are. They are so special, so important, and they deserve to have a birthday cake and a happy birthday on their birthday,” said Alisha.

Jaime said the love from For Goodness Cakes doesn’t end when kids reach a certain age.

She said they recently partnered with Eastern Michigan University to help bring joy to young adults who have aged out of foster care.

“If you’re 99, if you’re four, if you’re 26, your birthday matters, you matter,” said Jaime.

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