Hello World! I, your blog author, am a struggling PhD student in the School of Social Work at Arizona State University. I am not only struggling financially like most Americans these days, but I am struggling to use my creativity that has been sucked out of me as a Masters student at University of Chicago and now research paper writing PhD student. I bake at least once a week, if not twice. For a full-time PhD student, who has a Research Assistantship for 20 hours per week, a Teaching Assistantship for 6 hours per week, independent research, a family, a supportive boyfriend and many amazing friends, baking once or twice a week is quite a bit. It's been my sweet escape into a creative world. I have been craving to transform my recent found talent as a baker into something that could bolster my other passion: people with disabilities. As a social worker, I have worked with people who struggle to overcome their physical, mental, and intellectual challenges. These people have inspired me and changed my life in more ways than they will ever know. I believe that all people have the right and ability to be independent. So, I have decided to open a non-profit bakery. The Sweet Inde (which is short for Sweet Independence) Bakery will provide job opportunities and training to people with disabilities. Proceeds of bakery sales will go into a grant fund to annual provide grants for individual people with disabilities to increase their independence. Individuals will present proposals for their needs, such as electronic wheel chairs, to the Board of Directors of Sweet Inde Bakery annually. Grants will be provided based on proceeds available and need.
In order to begin this idea, I will need volunteers that believe in the idea and $750 to apply for 501(c)3 status. My advisor, Damien Salamone, told me that determination is what makes ideas become reality. This blog will follow my determination in making my idea of Sweet Inde Bakery come true..
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3 comments:
Hi,
I think social entrepreneurship is a great idea :) I know of someone who started a dance school and the profits go are used to award scholarships to poor children who weren't able to cope with public education. The scholarship allows them to enroll in a private school and they get to complete their high school education.
But the question is... is the lack of manpower a problem for you right now? How do you see the volunteers helping you with your project?
We have a decent amount of volunteers and the community has been very supportive of our venture. The volunteers will help bake, sell, and conduct administrative assignments. Does this answer your question?
I love how you started this bakery. I have three learning disabilities and fine motor dysfunction from chemotherapy to treat childhood leukemia when I was five years old. I was told I would never graduate from high school. My Mom fought to get me into a special ed school where I did end up graduating. Five years later graduate from college with a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology.
Now I'm back at the special ed school I attended as a job coach in the vocational program. I want to start up a bakery/ artist studio like yours here in Massachusetts. I hope to name it the "Paws Up" Bakery from Lady Gaga's "Born This Way" and my special ed school's mascot is a panther.
Thank you again for all you do and believing in people like me, because not many others do.
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