Students bake cupcakes for breast cancer awareness

Cupcakes for a Cure is a new nonprofit organization on campus that bakes and sells cupcakes to raise money for breast cancer research and works to spread awareness and educate students.

“We first came up with the idea last winter and developed it in the spring,” said Tracy Kelsey, co-founder of Cupcakes for a Cure.

Kelsey and her co-founder, Ajay Bohra, had witnessed cancer’s struggles through their family members and wanted to do something to support them.

Kelsey said she loves baking and is excited to bring together two of her passions to raise awareness about something that hits close to home.

Her mother had breast cancer.

“I went to the doctor with her, where she had experimental treatments that insurance didn’t cover,” she said. “Even if (the club is) small and doesn’t raise enough money, it still brings awareness to people’s lives.”

To put the idea for the club into action, Kelsey and Bohra needed an on-campus sponsor to allow them to use their facilities to bake cupcakes.

It is a campus requirement for selling baked goods to students. After receiving the support of the Helene G. Simon Hillel Center, the next step was securing funds.

“We weren’t able to get funding from IUSA, and you need money to raise money,” Bohra said.

Bohra and Kelsey started with a dine-and-donate fundraiser at Qdoba Mexican Grill.

The restaurant supported the cause and donated $1 for every individual who dined rather than a percentage of their sales.

As the club worked through its first year to establish a foundation for the group, Cupcakes for a Cure quickly increased its membership from five students in the spring to 50 in the fall.  

The goal is to combine both fundraising for breast cancer research and education for students by inviting guest speakers, such as cancer researcher Bryan Schneider,Bohra said.

“There are cancer research-type classes,” he said. “This is a supplement to them. We want to fill the gap between theory and practice.”

As the year progresses, Kelsey and Bohra said they hope to sell more cupcakes and build a better understanding of breast cancer.

All proceeds from the fundraisers will go to the Susan G. Komen Foundation.