A cupcake could change the world! (by Laura Vivas)

Do you think a cupcake can change the world? Three years ago I asked myself that same question as my Notre Dame soccer team-mates and I baked our very first batch of tie-dye cupcakes to sponsor girls’ education in the developing world through the not-for-profit organization, She’s the First. A few cupcakes quickly turned into a couple dozen and before we knew it, we had sold over 500 cupcakes- enough to sponsor the education of three girls in Nepal.

After spending a few months getting to know our sponsored girls by exchanging letters, my team-mates and I realized that we had given the girls in Nepal so much more than just books and a school uniform. By empowering them with an education, we had given them the opportunity to break the cycle of poverty they were born into and change their lives forever. An opportunity that more than 32 million girls worldwide still do not have. We knew that our team alone could never bake nearly enough cupcakes to help all these girls, but we believed with the help of cupcake teams across the United States our impact could grow tremendously.

We shared our story and tie-dye cupcake recipe on She’s the First’s online message board. Little did we know, what started as a bake sale with a twist would quickly spiral out of control. Our tie-dye cupcakes even caught the attention of Seventeen Magazine and I was named winner of the 2012 Pretty Amazing contest! Thanks to the awareness we've been able to raise online, more than 300 cupcake teams in 30 different states and 4 different countries have sold enough tie-dye cupcakes to send 100 girls to school in Africa, Asia, and South America. Our tie-dye cupcakes have clearly sweetened these girls’ lives for the better. But we’re not stopping there!

This year our goal is to send more girls to school than ever before—but to be successful we need YOUR help! Friday, October 11^th is the International Day of the Girl, an entire day dedicated to promoting the importance of educating girls worldwide. Girl Rising is asking you to join them and stand with girls around the world to break down the obstacles that often prevent them from going to school. Celebrate by signing up to be part of She’s the First 3^rd annual Tie-Dye Cupcake Bake-Off during the week of October 25^th to November 1^st. Together, we can change the world one tie-dye cupcake at a time!

Sign up to host a tie-dye cupcake sale here! Plus check this out to learn more about Girl Rising!

Lindsay Brown, She's the First supporter