Wilmington Resident Spearheads Fundraiser to Get Kids Involved

For Courtney Hadden, volunteerism is in her blood. Instilled in her since childhood, it’s no surprise she wants to help create a way for children and families to get involved right here in Wilmington.

Hadden started the Boo Bakes for Breast Cancer event, presented by Bill Dube Hyundai, to not only benefit breast cancer care and research at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, but also to give children the opportunity to get involved in a cause by participating with their families.

It all started with a question - how can you get young children involved in giving to a cause while making it fun and easy?

Hadden said it was when her young son Finn kept trying to understand what she does at her job at Dana Farber and why she does it that she realized she needed to find a way to get him to understand what it is to donate or give back and was struggling with a way to do that when there aren’t many volunteer opportunities available for young children. And that’s how the idea for Boo Bakes came to be.

“Growing up my mother involved me in causes from a very early age,” Hadden says. “Today, there is really not a lot of opportunity for young kids to give back.”

Breast Cancer awareness is something near and dear to Hadden’s heart having lost both an aunt at a young age, as well as her husband’s aunt, also very young, to breast cancer. Both of her children are named after these women her family holds so close to their hearts.

With a cause she’s personally connected to, an opportunity to get her son involved and because Halloween is her family’s favorite time of the year, not to mention October is Breast Cancer Awareness month, Boo Bakes was the perfect idea to put into play.

While the event is a fundraiser, that’s not what it’s all about. It’s about creating an opportunity for children and parents and the community to work together toward a cause that’s fun.

Boo Bakes will be held on Saturday, Oct. 17 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Wilmington Middle School. Its goal is simple: get kids to volunteer or to bake with their families and donate the baked goods to the event.

To get involved, families can either volunteer at the event or make a baked good for donation. All baked goods need to be dropped off at the event by 10 a.m. on Oct. 17 at the middle school. If you want to volunteer, simply email boobakesforbreastcancer@yahoo.com.

For more information on Boo Bakes for Breast Cancer, visit the event’s Facebook page >>>