Background
Everyone (especially children) should celebrate milestone occasions and feel special. When recognizing the many kids that are affected by disabilities, poverty, and lack of resources some milestone events go uncelebrated. Individuals and/or families that are forced with the obstacle of providing the daily necessities may view milestone events as a luxury that they can’t afford.
Celebrate with a cake was created to provided individuals and/or families with the Celebratory cakes they deserve in order to feel special on their day.
Our key focus areas will be based on and around Youth with disabilities and youth in tutelage care facilities.
Where we are today
Our team has partnered with a local school system to provide celebratory cakes to the foster care kids and children with disabilities in their system. We have also partnered with the Heritage Project Center to provide celebratory cakes to their youth. We have a partnership with Healing Hooves a equine therapy facility to provide celebratory cakes to their youth.
Our Beginning
As a child my mother always made my birthdays special. I can remember skating rink parties, house parties etc. I have a lifetime of memories that stand out. As a mother myself I have tried to recreate and establish these types of memories for my child in hopes they pass on the tradition to their children. I believe everyone should be celebrated, especially on their birthday.
I always made cakes and treats for friends and family, but I was ready to expand my talent to the public. In 2012, my then-boyfriend, now husband, was working for DePelchin Children Center. One day, he asked me to bake a cake for one of his youths at the center. He took the cake to the young man who was turning thirteen; when the youth received the cake, he began to cry. When my husband questioned him, he stated that he had never received a cake for his birthday before. We continued to provide cakes for youth at the facility while he was employed there. This was the seed that was planted inside of me to start Celebrate with a cake. In 2013, I opened a cupcake stand in Deerbrook mall in Humble, TX. In 2014, I started volunteering in the local schools during the holidays and aided students with baking projects. In 2017, Icing by J, Slay was chosen as a vendor for the 2017 Super Bowl in Houston, Texas. Since 2019, we started hosting summer camps for children and participated in pop-up shops, bridal markets, and holiday markets.
This is where the idea and dream were created from this story. Since then, I have started providing treats and goodies for my children's classes and donating treats and goodies to fundraising events.
In 2023 a close coworker started talking about acquiring a nonprofit and this started my wheels spinning. Also, in 2023 another coworker forwarded me to a company that provided cakes for foster care kids and asked if I wanted to volunteer. I read the information and from there I knew the road that I needed to take. I stepped out on faith applied to become a nonprofit and then obtained the 501c3 status.