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Week of September 20 - Cupcakes For a Cause

Mon, 20 Sep 2010 00:00:00 -0700

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Media Contact:
Mandy Kessler
212-712-6166
mkessler@cancercare.org

7^TH ANNUAL CUPCAKES FOR A CAUSE^® WEEK SUPPORTS CHILDREN AFFECTED BY CANCER

Sweet Addictions Bake Shop finds a way to make life a little sweeter for children and families affected by cancer

WEST READING, PA, September 9, 2010 -From September 20 - 26, 2010, Sweet Addictions Bake Shop and hundreds of other leading bakeries across the country will team up with national nonprofit organization, CancerCare, for the seventh annual Cupcakes for a Cause^® Week supporting children affected by a cancer diagnosis. September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month.

Sweet Addictions Bake Shop will be one of over 650 participating locations, including gourmet bakeries as well as grocery and convenience stores, in the week-long event. Participating locations are selling specially decorated cupcakes and donating a portion of the proceeds from their sale to CancerCare for Kids^®, a program that provides free, professional support services to children affected by cancer.

"We are thrilled to be part of Cupcakes for a Cause this year and urge everyone in Berks County to visit us during Cupcakes for a Cause Week," said Diana Green, owner of Sweet Addictions.

Last year's event raised nearly $100,000 for CancerCare for Kids. "Cupcakes for a Cause is a great way to have a treat while helping children affected by this devastating illness," said Helen Miller, Chief Executive Officer of CancerCare. "Children diagnosed with cancer, and those who have a parent or sibling with cancer, face very difficult emotional questions and concerns that most kids their age don't have. Our oncology-trained professional social workers help children understand cancer, talk about their feelings, and become less afraid."

A complete list of bakeries participating in the week-long event in Pennsylvania and nationwide can be found at www.cupcakesforacause.org. And starting September 1, anyone visiting the website can help raise awareness and additional funds for the program by creating their own virtual e-Cupcake and sending it to a friend. Cupcakes for a Cause presenting sponsor, leading hair styling brand göt2b, will donate $1 to CancerCare for each of the first 10,000 e-Cupcakes sent.

Additionally, families, community groups and businesses can support the program in a homemade way by hosting their own bake sale and donating the proceeds. People interested in hosting a bake sale can visit www.cupcakesforacause.org to download a Bake Sale Toolkit, also sponsored by göt2b.

For more information about CancerCare for Kids, which provides free professional support services - age-appropriate counseling, financial assistance, education and practical support - to children affected by a cancer diagnosis, whether their own or that or a loved one, visit www.cancercareforkids.org.

About CancerCare and CancerCare for Kids

CancerCare is a national non-profit organization founded in 1944 that provides free professional support services to anyone affected by cancer: people with cancer, caregivers, children, loved ones, and the bereaved. Children and teens affected by cancer have special needs and concerns. CancerCare for Kids offers practical support, education and advice to parents, and counseling to children and teens to help them understand cancer. All services are provided by professional oncology social workers and are completely free of charge. For more information, call 1-800-813-HOPE (4673) or visit www.cancercare.org.

About Sweet Addictions Bake Shop

With 14 years of experience, Diana Green has achieved an established network of clients and a reputation for making cakes that are as one person said, "A Sweet Addiction"! Her mission is to provide a small old-fashioned bakery where delicious baked goods will be made to order from scratch. www.aSweetAddiction.com

About göt2b, a Schwarzkopf & Henkel brand
Henkel operates worldwide with leading brands and technologies in three business areas: Laundry & Home Care, Cosmetics/Toiletries and Adhesive Technologies. Founded in 1876, Henkel holds globally leading market positions both in the consumer and industrial businesses with well-known brands such as Persil, Schwarzkopf and Loctite. Henkel employs about 50,000 people and reported sales of $18.86 billion and adjusted operating profit of $1.84 billion in fiscal 2009. Henkel's preferred shares are listed in the German stock index DAX and the company ranks among the Fortune Global 500. Henkel markets a wide range of well-known consumer and industrial brands in North America, including Dial® soaps, Purex® laundry detergents, Right Guard® antiperspirants, got2b® hair styling products, and Loctite® adhesives. Visit http://www.henkelna.com/ for more information.

June 17, 2010: Reading Eagle

Thu, 17 Jun 2010 00:00:00 -0700

Sweet Addictions Bake Shop was again featured in the Reading Eagle for its grand opening celebration held on Wednesday, June 16, 2010.

+] Enlarge.

Reading Eagle: Jeremy Drey

Owner Diana Green, left, with her husband, Gene, takes an order for Amanda Millar of Shartlesville at the opening of Sweet Addictions Bake Shop, West Reading. The new store held its grand opening and ribbon cutting on Wednesday.

Reading Eagle

Diana Green realized a dream Wednesday with the ribbon cutting ceremony at her new business, Sweet Addictions Bake Shop, 701 Court St., West Reading.

Green said she has been a baker for 15 years, but then lost her job in 2008.

"I thought, 'What do I do now?' " Green said. "The economy's not so good, and it's not easy to find a job. Then I realized that even as the economy goes down, people will spend a little more on a cake to make a day special. So I did what I had to do to get open."

Green credited Kutztown University's Small Business Development Center with helping her get her plan together.

She said the store will offer everything from wedding cakes to birthday cakes to cupcakes.

The icing on the cake, so to speak, is that, she said, by working for herself, she can make whatever she chooses to make, from cakes and cookies to brownies and sticky buns.

The store will open to the public on Saturday. Hours tentatively are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays.

Green said the store also will be open by appointment, at 610-406-8347.

Featured in the Reading Eagle

Fri, 12 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0700

Sweet Addictions Bake Shop was featured in an article in the Reading Eagle on March 12, 2010.

Originally Published: 3/12/2010

Starting a company is following a dream

By Mike Urban

Reading Eagle

When the battered economy cost Diana Green her job, she decided to follow her dream of opening her own bake shop.

"I was passionate about cakes, but I didn't know the first thing about opening my own business," she said. "I didn't even know whether I could afford it."

Though the process hasn't been easy, Green is in the preparation of opening her business, Sweet Addictions Bake Shop, 701 Court St., West Reading.

"It's been both terrifying and exciting," she said of opening a business, which she plans to do by spring.

Because the process requires making so many decisions, she urges anyone planning to start a business to take advantage of the local resources.

They include the Small Business Development Center at Kutztown University, and the Reading chapter of SCORE, a group of volunteer business professionals who offer counseling and advice.

Start-up businesses that consult with KU's business center succeed far more frequently than those that do not, said director Ernie Post.

The center offers tips on topics including how to secure financing, which remains difficult, he said.

The center also helps guide budding entrepreneurs through the four steps of launching a business:
Coming up with an idea.
Developing a plan.
Marshaling resources (raising funds, selecting a property, forming a team).
Implementation.

Too many people get so bogged down in planning that they eventually give up, Post said.

While planning is important, it need not be a three- to six-month process, he said.

The KU business center can help budding entrepreneurs develop a model quickly, focusing on keys such as feasibility and pricing points.

"In one or two days, you can develop a really solid pitch," Post said.

The KU business center also can assist those buying a business - it's easier than starting from scratch, Post said.

Another crucial step for those planning a business is to speak with potential customers about their service or product, said J. Russell Hoke II, vice chairman of the Reading SCORE chapter. That can help them decide whether there is a demand for what they'll be selling.

SCORE, like the KU business center, provides not just counseling during the planning stages but also after the business opens, he said.

That's been a huge help to businesses such as Scrolls and Strings Violin House in West Reading, which sells and repairs stringed instruments.

"The SCORE counselors gave us a focus and direction and taught us the value of a business plan," said Shelly Reider, who opened the business with husband Jeffrey M. in 2006.

Contact Mike Urban: 610-371-5023 or murban@readingeagle.com.