About Us
What is You Are Special? It is people helping people, reaching out, giving what they have, offering dignity… one cake, one person at a time.
At its core, You Are Special provides birthday cakes for people in homeless facilities, domestic violence shelters, and group homes; as well as for those with developmental disabilities, or those who are struggling with addiction. You Are Special works in partnership with more than 20 organizations in the greater Milwaukee and Waukesha area who are serving the needs of some of the most marginalized in our community.
Why cakes? We discovered that many people have never had their birthdays celebrated, never had a cake with their name on it to remind them that they are special. A cake is a simple, yet tangible token of affirmation that they are here on this earth for a reason. They matter.
It started with cakes…but it has become so much more.
Our volunteers are always ready to help out when the need arises. That might be in the form of baking cookies for troops who are serving overseas (Operation Home Baked), donating funds to purchase bras for homeless women, creating brownie kits for our friends at Safe Babies Healthy Families and Northwest Catholic so that children have a special project to do as a family over the holidays. At the heart of You Are Special is a strong sense of volunteerism, of community. By lifting up one person, we are all lifted up.
Our Impact
You Are Special has been operating since March 5, 1999. What started out as a small group of volunteers baking cakes for one shelter has grown into nearly 100 volunteers serving more than 20 organizations in Waukesha, Milwaukee, and Racine counties.
You Are Special volunteers have made over 6000 birthday and special occasion cakes for those in our community who may have otherwise gone without.
Our History
After reading an article about a woman in St. Louis who began making cakes for children in homeless shelters, co-founder Marilyn Pritchard took the idea to her friend, Mary McNulty. Recognizing the tremendous impact such a simple act of kindness could have on an individual, Marilyn and Mary decided to begin making cakes for children in shelters right where they lived, the greater Milwaukee area.
Our Mission
The mission of You Are Special is to provide birthday cakes to women, men and children to help them realize they are important and to highlight that they are valuable members of the community.