Cupcakes of Hope is a non-profit company (NPC 2012/103028/08) and public benefit organisation (PBO 930053726) started by Sandy Cipriano in 2012. Our mission is to raise awareness of childhood cancer and funds for kids with cancer who are in need of medical and financial assistance. We do this predominantly through our love of cupcakes.
What sets us apart from other charities is that we ask our volunteers (also known as Cupcake Angels) to “bake” a difference in the lives of our cancer warriors. The only requirement to be a Cupcake Angel is that your cupcakes must be made with love! We believe that we can all make a difference in this world, and that all you need to do this is a bit of time and lots of love!
We assist on average 60 cancer warriors each month by paying for some of their medical treatments and other day-to-day expenses like food, clothing and transport for hospital visits. All of our warriors go through a registration process, which includes the submission of doctors’ letters specifying their cancer diagnosis.
An ever increasing number of new patients register with us each month, and so we are always looking to new ways to raise funds. One way in which we do this is to approach companies and sponsors with a request to donate money. Apart from the benefit of helping to make a difference in the lives of our cancer warriors, all companies and sponsors who donate money to our cause can get a Section 18A Certificate.
We also hold several awareness and fund-raising campaigns throughout the year. Each year in September, Childhood Cancer Awareness month, we host South Africa’s National Cupcake Day 4 Kids with Cancer, which is our main annual event. This event is a community-driven project and we are proud to say that in 2017 our event was hosted at 65 malls across the country and that we raised R1,8 million in one day. We also handed out thousands of flyers with the Early Warning Signs of Childhood Cancer during this month.
Early detection can help save a child's life, and so educating parents on the Early Warning Signs of Childhood Cancer is one of our major focusses. We’ve put these signs into an illustrated leaflet, which is now available on our website in more than 20 languages, including all 11 official South African languages.
Cupcakes of HOPE has assisted more than 1200 patients, for a full list of beneficiaries, visit www.cupcakesofhope.org