Starting in March 2020, the medical staff on the front lines of COVID-19 have been bearing a huge burden on behalf of all of us. To show gratitude for their efforts,  I organized large deliveries of cupcakes to be sent to the staffs at hospitals and nursing homes in Queens, The Bronx, and Tuscaloosa, Alabama. The project serves a dual mission: supporting health care workers and small local businesses that have struggled to survive the economic repercussions of the pandemic.

​

Building upon my organization Cake Connect's model of year-round outreach and cake delivery to isolated elderly people across NYC, I partnered with small local businesses and bakeries to help make and deliver the cupcakes. 

 

Click here to read more about the Sweet Relief Initiative or here to visit our website.

Growing up in New York City, I stayed in constant contact with my extended family on three continents, including grandparents in the UK and Australia.  I relied on their advice and grew to appreciate the wisdom and insight of an older generation. In this spirit, in middle school I started volunteering with the elderly in my home city. Many of the elderly people I visited had no family nearby and little interaction with young people.

​

Elderly loneliness has been linked to many negative mental and physical health effects. I wanted to do more to combat elderly social isolation in New York City, so I co-founded Cake Connect in 2017. Our organization’s mission is to connect with isolated elderly people through making them baked goods, arranging home visits, and celebrating special occasions with them.

 

Visit the Cake Connect website to learn more at www.cakeconnect.org.

In 2017, I was selected by RCS to be part of a community service leadership team in charge of organizing and attending annual trips to Alabama. I have since attended several such trips in groups of 10-15 members to organize guest lectures, coordinate logistics, and delegate volunteers, in partnership with the Equal Justice Initiative.

 

I have also been responsible for interviewing and selecting of volunteers from RCS to join, and for inviting speakers, including political and community leaders, for the Equal Justice Initiative's programs. We have worked alongside locals building affordable housing and supported small business initiatives in several cities.

 

My most rewarding experiences here include learning about grassroots advocacy and activism from local Tuscaloosa and Selma communities, and receiving a Civil Rights History education through this immersive experience.