Students from all 10 of the Syosset School District’s school buildings gathered on last month to participate in the Interact Club’s “Cupcake Wars,” a cupcake decorating event with a sweet mission.
The Cupcake Wars were organized as a fundraiser for the club’s 7 In 7 campaign, a mission to deliver life-saving heart surgeries to seven children on seven continents in seven days. The corrective surgeries are performed on children born with a congenital heart defect, an often-deadly malfunction of the heart valves.
The declaration of cupcake war was one of the club’s final fundraisers before the scheduled heart surgeries. During the week of May 20, Rina, a 9-year-old girl from Kosovo, will receive her surgery at St. Francis Hospital in Roslyn. Other recipients will receive their surgeries in their respective countries, including El Salvador, Jamaica, East Timor, the Philippines and Syria.
During the Cupcake Wars, more than 200 teams, in age categories from elementary school to high school, competed for the best-decorated cupcakes in a timed event that used decorations for every sweet toothed taste imaginable. The wars took place in the Syosset High School gymnasium. While the judges, comprised of local restaurant owners, evaluated the finished products, the cupcake warriors and their supporters spilled over into the high school courtyard for an hour of carnival games, raffle prizes and dinner.
In the end, eight winning teams were announced. The event was attended by Dr. Thomas Rogers, superintendent of Syosset Schools, and school administrators. In addition, Nassau County Legislator Judy Jacobs dropped by to wish the cupcake decorators good luck.
During the opening ceremony, the Interact Club was presented a $5,000 check from the nonprofit Kids Helping Kids. In total, the event raised $12,400, drawing ever closer to the club’s goal of $42,000 to perform the seven surgeries.
