Kakes 4 Kids
As a reporter, it gives me great joy to be able to report a story like Kakes 4 Kids.
It's one of those stories that highlights the altruistic deeds of people in our community; people going above and beyond to make life a little better for someone else.
And here's the best part -- they need the community's help to continue their efforts.
The piece will air on CBS 4 News Thanksgiving night. Here's a synopsis: a pair of South Florida women bake elaborate birthday cakes for foster children at Children's Harbor in Pembroke Pines. It is such a touching sight to see the kids' faces burst into smiles at the sight of a cake baked especially for them. The children have suffered abuse or neglect and many have never celebrated a birthday of their own.
Until now.
Miriam Masihy and Keyla Concepcion are changing that.
They have held 8 birthday parties so far. Each month the birthday children choose a theme for a cake and the women -- along with several helpers -- create the child's vision. Here are a few examples of their work.
I attended the November birthday party and saw the sheer joy on the faces of the kids when Miriam and Keyla emerged from the kitchen carrying a Dora the Explorer cake and a Hula dancer cake. The kids also received gifts, a lavish spread of food and enjoyed a petting zoo complete with pony rides.
"We hear the stories of them counting the days down on their calendars, so what greater feeling is there than that?" Concepcion said.
It is a chance for the children to feel like regular kids.
"You've got to think about the history with a lot of these kids," Concepcion told me. "It's hard for them to open up to anyone. At first, during our first party, the first couple of minutes they were standoffish but just as time went on they really opened us to us and welcomed us and that was a nice sight, especially knowing that a lot of them aren't used to doing that."
Because of privacy laws we could not interview the children, but people at Children's Harbor said the kids treat Kakes 4 Kids day like Christmas morning. I'm told the parties bring the kids together and even give them self-confidence.
Masihy said it's her way of giving back.
"We're adoptive parents -- my husband and I -- and we wish we could more kids and I think a lot of people wish that they could do more and this is our way of doing more," she said.
Masihy is a reporter at Univision and Concepcion is a spokesperson for the Broward Sheriff's Office. They both take time from their schedules to bake the cakes and plan the parties. They often pay for many of the parties out of their own pockets.
That's where you come in. They bake and sell cakes through their website. CLICK HERE TO VISIT THE SITE
The proceeds from the sales help to pay for the parties. The women say they can also use volunteers. If you're interested, you can contact them through their website.
