Who says you can’t have your cake and eat it too?
For this month’s installation of #BeBetter Heroes meet Michael Platt, a 13-year old from Maryland serving up something so much more than a guilty pleasure.
Inspired by two things that don’t seem to go hand in hand: Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and cupcakes, he is taking the simple expression of ‘pay-it-forward’ and turning into a business model that donates a cupcake to homeless and hungry individuals for every one sold.
Michael, who is home-schooled, bakes from the kitchen of his family's home to serve desserts for birthdays, weddings, anniversaries, as well as individual orders. His mother, Danita Platt, is happy he has found a diversion after he had to withdraw from public school when he was diagnosed with epilepsy and he suffered severe seizures.
"It was a very, very difficult time," Danita said about the time Michael was diagnosed. "He had to stop everything he loved: gymnastics, climbing trees, diving. So that's when he kind of threw himself into baking."
Michael calls his baking business Michaels Desserts; intentionally leaving out the apostrophe as a reminder that he is baking for others, not himself.
From an interview he gave to the Washington Post, Michael expressed how much joy he gets in being able to hand out some of his creations to children. “I know I like cupcakes, but also cupcakes are part of a child’s childhood so they should get them,” said Michael, noting that he always eats one with whipped icing on his birthday.
When he started the bakery, he knew from the beginning that he wanted his business to do more than make money. That’s why the bedrock of Michaels Desserts is its mission of fighting hunger and giving back, which Michael accomplishes through his giveaways and the very design of the treats.
What I love most about Michael’s business and story is that he is a great example of how we can all find a way to help others while also sharing something we genuinely love.
Yes, donations are a necessary part of any non-profit’s sustainability and impact but not every person is in a situation where they can give financially. But that doesn’t mean we are any less capable of trying to improve our communities and the lives of those we come in contact with.
What’s your passion that you would love to somehow transform into a force for good? It can be as simple as using a skill, such as baking or cooking, and letting others be a part of that or something completely out of the norm.
Take a minute to tell us what your idea is what you how it would live up to the I Do It For Her mission and maybe we can help get that idea off the ground!
Have a great Thanksgiving and remember, we all have someone in our life who can inspire us to the be the person they deserve.
- Adam
Photos courtesy of Black Business, Shared, and People