@ Cate.Bakes

During my junior year of high school I created Cate.Bakes, a small, at home baking business. During my two years of operation I sold over 180 custom orders, hosted three “pop-up bake sales”, collaborated with four different organizations, and hosted a fundraiser.

 The Cate.Bakes Fundraiser Event: “Purple for the Planet”

Climate change and wildlife conservation has always been something I’ve been very passionate about. In my senior year of high school, I learned that a food brand I was fond of, Sambazon, was hosting a social media challenge to create awareness for and donate money to wildlife conservation in the Amazon Rainforest. The goal of the challenge was to save 30 species in 30 days by donating money raised on social media to save the land. All you had to do was post a picture of yourself with purple hair and tag #PurpleForThePlanet. For every selfie posted on Instagram Sambazon promised to purchase 5 acres of rainforest land to protect.

Because my business became pretty well-known throughout Fairfield county by this time, I saw this as a chance to do something meaningful and impactful with my account. I hosted an event at my house to support the cause. I had a hair dying station where participants had the opportunity to get their hair temporarily dyed, a tattoo station, a raffle that hosted donated items from incredible organizations in town (Athlete, K.C. Salon & Company, Planet Pizza, and more), a bake sale, and more. All of the money generated from the event was donated directly to the cause and over 27 selfies were posted.

Pictured below is the graphic I created that was used to promote the event on social media and posted on community boards around town: