THON is a student-run philanthropy committed to enhancing the lives of children and families impacted by childhood cancer. The group puts on the longest dance marathon in the country, lasting 46 hours.

When Tracy attended Penn State, she had the opportunity to participate in THON, which sparked her passion to give back and make an impact.

Tracy was exposed to the pediatric medical world when each of her children, Emily and Justin, were born premature in January 2001 and November 2003.

Each of their stays exposed Tracy to the struggles families face while dealing with a medical child.

Tracy saw the impact of a cake when she tried to create a 3D rubber duck cake for Justin’s birthday on November 14, 2004.

Even though it looked like a pineapple with a beak, everyone loved it and her passion was ignited.

Tracy believed in the power of a cake but didn’t know if anyone else would.

In August 2009, she was connected with the Ryan Wilkens, Director of Marketing at RMH of Central Ohio, who became her biggest cheerleader. Pictured is the first cake she did for them after incorporation.

As of October 2009… Mission identified: ✅. Nonprofit incorporation paperwork done: ✅. IRS approval: ✅.

Next up? Making all those smiles happen!

Tracy was connected with Violet’s family through a neighbor. Violet was diagnosed with a brain tumor not long after her 6th birthday.

In and out of the hospital and battling the effects of the chemo, Violet was still ready to celebrate her 7th birthday in January 2010!

Every birthday is a celebration of life, but for Violet’s family this was the most special. When Tracy and Violet’s mom, Robin, connected and planned her cake, Tracy had never met Violet.

Robin remembers the day of the delivery. “Violet had never had a fancy cake like that before, and not only was it beautiful, it was delicious. Tracy did such a great job capturing Violet’s personality without even meeting her in person before making the cake! It was the BEST CAKE EVER!” What a sweet memory the experience created for Violet and her family!

Violet’s Story

When Icing Smiles received the request to serve Ben, we were 6 months old. Tracy was struggling to get traction in the medical community.

She got a call from a family who was connected to Violet and accepted the challenge to find a decorator in NYC for Ben.

Ben was from Colorado but receiving treatment at Sloan Kettering and would be away from everyone for his birthday. She was nervous but reminded herself that if God Guides, God Provides. And provide He did!

In her naivety (and desperation), she reached out to 3 artists in the NYC metro area not realizing their status in the industry. Kate Sullivan stepped up to serve and the other two, Anne Heap and Elisa Strauss soon became members of our board. Ben was in NYC receiving very painful treatments over his birthday and was having trouble staying positive.

After being presented with his cake and having the chance to celebrate at the Ronald McDonald House, his attitude changed and he loved telling the nurses all about his Yoshi cake.

Kate, now an official Sugar Angel, wrote a blog post about her experience which caught the eye of the industry (and later Parent’s magazine and Ladies Home Journal).

In just 1 day, Icing Smiles received more than 300 emails inquiring about how to volunteer.

Tracy always thought her challenge was going to be finding people willing to give away their art. If there was ever a blatant “God Wink,” this was it. She knew then that there was no turning back. Ben’s cake kicked off a decade of extreme highs and lows, a decade of personal and professional growth, a decade of a lot of second guesses followed by reminders of our why. Violet and Ben will always be my “reason.”

Deni Karpowich, Sugar Angel and Administrative volunteer, offered to launch a program for cookiers. It would be a SWEET surprise for the families we serve. In no time, we began to see the impact and it became a big part of our mission.

It was such a secret program, we never posted cookie pictures for several years.

Tracy will never forget her first call with Kevin O’Reilly, owner of Satin Fine Foods. She had never asked for corporate support and was a nervous wreck. She put a sponsorship package together with levels from $5,000 to $100,000. His response, “Now it would be very irresponsible of me to go in at the high end, no?”

She survived that call and they are still our largest corporate donor to this day and Tracy beams with pride when she sees our logo on their packaging!

At 19 months, Kylie was diagnosed with stage 4 high-risk neuroblastoma. She spent over 200 days in the pediatric ICU, where she was also diagnosed with vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP).

The cake wouldn’t only be Kylie’s second birthday cake — it would also be Icing Smiles’ 5,000th cake delivered.

We reached out to one of the top cake artists in the industry: Kate Sullivan of Cake Power. The week before Kylie’s birthday party, while walking in New York City, Kate was hit by a car. “It happened in slow motion,” Kate recalls. “My first thought was, ‘What am I going to do about this cake?’” Despite breaking her leg in two places (“It wasn’t a big deal,” she swears), Kate, with the help of her assistant, finished the cake, which incorporated all of Kylie’s favorite stuffed animals, and delivered it to the hospital — via her wheelchair. “It was so beautiful,” Bree recalls. “I didn’t even want to cut into it.”

Although Kylie was in and out of sleep during the party, it was meaningful for her family, especially her parents. “Those memories of that day are something that we will always remember,” Bree says. “In the midst of our world spinning and darkness around us, Icing Smiles bringing us together was such a special moment.”

Everleigh is a very sweet, fun-loving, little girl who was diagnosed with Undifferentiated Embryonal Sarcoma, one of the rarest forms of cancer in children.

In late October 2014, mom knew something wasn’t right so they went to the hospital. A few tests later, they ended up at All Children’s Hospital. The Doctors knew she had a large mass/tumor attached to her liver but didn’t know what it was, and biopsy tests were inconclusive.

On October 30th, they decided to do surgery to remove the mass. They removed a pint of fluid along with the 3-4 lb mass, the right lobe of her liver and her gallbladder with minimal blood loss. At this point they still didn’t know if it was cancer or not, but it was out of her, and the surgeon said everything went as smoothly as it could have.

On November 6, 2014 it was confirmed that it was cancer. Doctors began working with specialists in this line of cancer from all over the US. Everleigh’s situation is unique because the tumor was gone; the Doctors had to “call in the troops” to see how to proceed.

After a few days of waiting, it was determined that the best call of action is for her to have chemotherapy. Icing Smiles volunteers created a beautiful Frozen themed cake to celebrate Everleigh’s 2nd birthday!

Everleigh celebrated surrounded by her family, friends, and even founder, Tracy joined in the fun. In addition, Elsa made a guest appearance to make the celebration perfect.

Ben’s cake was the cake that put Icing Smiles on the map. Several years later, we received word that Ben had relapsed.

We worked with Craftsy and Joshua John Russell to have Ben and his family join Joshua on set for the filming of “Man About Cakes” to celebrate Ben along with cake #20,000. This is where things get a bit crazy.

Approximately a month prior to the taping, Tracy was let go from her day job. She was a single mom and not able to relocate. There was one position within a reasonable driving distance that fit her experience.

Within days, she had an interview with the hiring VP who happened to be based at the company’s corporate headquarters in Denver. She didn’t sense that the interview was going as well as she wanted to, so she threw a “Hail Mary.” She mentioned that she would be traveling to Denver for non-profit work the following month and would love to meet with him. She was hoping it would segue into how founding a non-profit would make me a good candidate for the position but it took a very unexpected turn. As she told him the purpose of her visit it was evident that he understood the importance of our mission.

He shared that his wife taught a child that had also recently relapsed with Neuroblastoma. She had become close to the mom and understood how hard it is to lighten the mom’s load and maintain normalcy for the child’s sister. The more they spoke, the more Tracy felt like the story sounded familiar. She finally asked him the child’s name and he responded, “Ben Brewer.” She knew instantly that God wasn’t just winking but slapping her upside the head and telling her to quit worrying, He had her back and He would provide.

Cake 25,000 for Icing Smiles was made and delivered by Mike Elder. The cake served Josiah and the Graczyk family.

The Graczyk family has been battling with Friedreich’s Ataxia, a rare, progressive, genetic disease for which there is no treatment or cure. Dawn and Eric Graczyk’s daughter, Marissa, struggled with health issues that eluded doctors.

After 8 years of searching for answers for their daughter’s increasing clumsiness, the diagnosis of FA came as a shock. When they received the heartbreaking diagnosis, Dawn and Eric immediately had their five other children tested for the disorder. The news was devastating; their son Josiah (Jo-Jo), was also diagnosed with FA, which was progressing at a rate faster than Marissa’s.

The family has 6 children, ages 5-17. Eric Graczyk recently retired from the military after 22 years of service, and while Dawn Graczyk has a bachelor’s degree in nursing, she mostly puts that to use being an advocate for her children.

Icing Smiles has been creating cakes for Josiah and his Marissa since they were both diagnosed with FA. Mike Elder went above and beyond for this special milestone cake! He created a 3D dirt bike cake for Josiah. He arranged for an extra special delivery, with a parade of motorcycles delivering the cake. Although Josiah loved riding dirtbikes, he currently didn’t have one that he could ride. Mike arranged for a bike to be donated!

Watch Josiah’s cake delivery!

Icing Smiles achieved a huge milestone, delivering our 30,000th cake!  Join us on the jouorney of serving Maia, a spirited one year old battling Stuve-Wiedemann Syndrome.

Maia found herself under the care of Sarah, a compassionate nurse at Siani Hospital. 

Months passed with Maia living in the hospital, her health becoming a daily concern for the medical staff. Among those deeply affected by Maia’s situation were Sarah and her husband, Josh. The couple felt a calling to do more for this special little girl. 

The most significant milestone in Maia’s journey has been her first birthday. Celebrating this occasion was more than just a party; it symbolized the triumph of life and love over adversity. Most children with Maia’s diagnosis pass before reaching this milestone. Josh shared, “I don’t know how long this baby’s going to live. Everyone’s telling us she’s not going to make it. It could be tomorrow; it could be 20 years from now. We don’t know, but we want to give her the best life that we can.” Maia’s resilience has shone through, and her joy has become a testament to the transformative power of care and compassion. 

To make Maia’s first birthday truly special, Sherrie of Sherrie’s Sweets, an Icing Smiles volunteer baker, stepped in. Known for her talent and generosity, Sherrie crafted a stunning ombre mermaid themed cake, not just as a centerpiece for the celebration but as a symbol of hope and happiness. 

Read more about Maia’s Journey!