WHEN ALEX MARSH, A student at JSerra Catholic High School, turned her passion for baking into a profitable business venture by selling her personally crafted cakes around the neighborhood, her parents encouraged their daughter to donate some of her profits to charity.
That led to a partnership with Family Assistance Ministries in San Clemente, an interfaith nonprofit that provides food, clothing a variety of services to needy families and individuals in the area. Guided by a desire to provide a special birthday for kids, Marsh began creating do it yourself baking kits, with each box containing all the ingredients needed for youngsters to bake their own birthday cakes, plus baking tools and directions. Party favors are even included. The cakes are made with shelf-stable ingredients included in the kit.
Marsh calls the service project “Bake A Wish.”
Before long, Marsh, with help from her family, was donating 30 Bake A Wish kits per month to Family Assistance Ministries. Wanting to add a new layer to Bake A Wish, Marsh applied for and was awarded a fellowship from the Dragon Kim Foundation.
The Dragon Kim Foundation is a nonprofit established by Daniel and Grace Kim, as a way honor the legacy of their son, Dragon, who was tragically killed along with his friend in a camping accident at Yosemite National Park in August 2015. At the time of his death, Dragon had finished his freshman year at the Orange County School of the Arts, where he and some friends were designing a program which would provide musical instrument instruction to underserved youngsters.
The Dragon Kim fellowship includes a $5,000 scholarship, which has enabled Marsh to not simply donate baking kits, but to hold mini cake-decorating parties, where kids can decorate their cakes and celebrate their birthdays in a festive setting.
“I’ve always wanted to kind of be able to engage with the kids and expand,” said Marsh, who is entering her senior year at JSerra. “You know, delivering boxes to (Family Assistance Ministries) is amazing, but I also realized that there was a connection missing. And so, it’s really incredible that I get to see the kids face to face and be able to connect with them.”
SISTERS SIERRA AHLMAN, 3, LEFT, AND LUCY AHLMAN, 5, OF SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO HELP DECORATE BIRTHDAY CAKES THAT WILL BE DONATED TO FAMILIES IN NEED WHILE PARTICIPATING IN A BAKE A WISH EVENT. PHOTO BY JEFF ANTENORE/DIOCESE OF ORANGE
The foundation receives hundreds of submissions annually and the application process is rigorous and competitive. Applicants must submit personal statements, transcripts, recommendation letters and present their project idea to a panel of judges.
Of the 600 applications submitted for the 2024-25 school year, 63 were selected for fellowships.
“Really at the end of the day it’s about passion and commitment,” said Daniel Kim, Dragon’s father. “A great presentation is somebody that not only presents all the facts, does all the right mechanical things of a presentation, but the things that really move people are the emotions. Can they connect with people at an emotional level? It’s really all about passion.”
Along with the $5,000 scholarships, students are paired with a mentor and pick up business and leadership skills through a series of training workshops.
Marsh’s energy and passion for selfless service has made a lasting impression on the staff at Family Assistance Ministries, said Brooke Utterback, marketing manager for the 25-year-old nonprofit.
ALEX MARSH, CENTER LEFT, A JSERRA CATHOLIC HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT AND BAKE A WISH FOUNDER, STANDS WITH HER FAMILY, HEATHER MARSH, GRACE MARSH AND CHRIS MARSH, FROM LEFT, OUTSIDE FAMILY ASSISTANCE MINISTRIES IN SAN CLEMENTE DURING A VOLUNTEER CAKE-DECORATING EVENT SHE HOSTED, CREATING CAKE BOXES THAT WILL BE DONATED TO CHILDREN ACROSS ORANGE COUNTY.
“Alex has been such a go-getter,” shared Utterback. “Everyone talks about her as that one high schooler who’s just like amazing, super ambitious, going above and beyond.”
Marsh said her source of inspiration is her father, who grew up in a poor mill town in Northern England, where basic needs were scarce.
“My father grew up in poverty, making necessities difficult to obtain and luxuries impossible to afford,” Marsh said. “In fact, growing up, he never had a birthday party or even a birthday cake. As a result, when I became aware of the true scale of the poverty plaguing our American homes, I decided to take a stand and start Bake A Wish.”
The Marsh family also donates time and resources to other nonprofits and Heather Marsh, Alex’s mother, said the family’s proclivity for serving others is an inherent part of their faith as Christians.
“We grew up where family and work and giving back and community were central,” Heather Marsh said.
The family tries to live by the words of St. Luke, she said: “From everyone who has been given much, much will be required; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, more will be asked.” (Luke 12:48).
“I’ve made it a point, now that we’re able to, in life to really get behind anything that helps kids,” said Chris Marsh, Alex’s father. “So, I’m very involved in other charities, and I like to think that Alex has picked up on some of that inspiration.”