![](https://images.caxton.co.za/wp-content/uploads/sites/39/2016/10/e43cupcakes_36858.jpg)
An Isipingo Beach pre-school exceeded expectations when they raised over R16,000 for the Cupcakes 4 Kids with Cancer initiative.
Sunshine Coast Montessori chose the NPO Cupcakes of Hope as its charity this year.
“Although we started small, it began to take on a life of its own,” said principal, Ruwaida Manjoo.
A ‘cupcake crew’, consisting of a group of dedicated parents, baked over 100 dozen cupcakes, which they sold at the school during special cupcake days, and to colleagues and local companies.
Zahida Cassim alone baked 80 dozen in two weeks, as the charity is close to her heart. Her contribution brought in R8,080 to boost the school’s donation to R16,140.
![Faliha Cassim, whose mother Zahida baked 80 dozen cupcakes in two weeks to raise R8,080, is presented with a present by the NPO's Vanessa Denham.](https://images.caxton.co.za/wp-content/uploads/sites/39/2016/10/IMG_1928-Custom.jpg)
“We also handed out flyers to get the message out there,” said Ruwaida, whose father Robert Manjoo even jumped in to help the cause and sold two dozen cupcakes for R850 at Durban Golf Club.
“The message is a very real one, which we need to get across to parents,” said Cupcakes of Hope angel, Vanessa Denham, whose three-year-old niece was recently diagnosed with kidney cancer.
“The warning signs are so important for parents to look out for.
It was really a surprise that such a small school with only 30 children raised such a huge amount of money,” she said at the handover on Friday, 14 October. “It just shows that when such a small school with a big heart puts the effort in, they can put the big schools to shame.”
To learn more about Cupcakes of Hope, visit www.cupcakesof hope.org.