At The Cupcake Bar, a huge part of our mission is to give back to our local community. We know how fortunate we are to call Austin, TX home. We’re so proud to live and work in a city that’s truly representative of Texas hospitality at its best, which is why we are so excited to announce our Cause of the Quarter for Q1!
Now through the end of March, $1 from the sale of each Cupcake Kit and Austin Gift Box will go to our Cause of the Quarter, the half Helen Foundation.
About half Helen
half Helen is a nonprofit organization that exists to improve children's vision and hearing through innovative screenings, research, and advocacy.
Founder Chelsea Elliott’s journey began with a failed vision screening that revealed blindness in her left eye due to a rare condition called Coats’ disease. Two years later, another setback occurred as a hearing screening revealed hearing loss in her right ear. Half blind and half deaf but brimming with determination, Chelsea affectionately embraced the moniker “half Helen” in honor of her hero, Helen Keller.
After learning about a revolutionary tool which can identify vision impairments in children within seconds, Chelsea founded the half Helen Foundation and set out to create a plan to provide preventive vision and hearing screenings, ensuring early detection and intervention for children. Chelsea’s efforts led to legislative change, allowing schools to use photoscreening technology for all ages.
Since its inception, the half Helen Foundation has screened over 68,000 children, helping them receive timely eye exams and corrective wear. In 2020, half Helen launched a popup clinic capable of providing vision care services in schools. This laid the groundwork for the subsequent launch of optical Prime, a fully mobile clinic. This tiny house on wheels travels across the greater Austin area providing quality vision care to the communities that need it most.
2023 marked a milestone achievement as they celebrated a decade of community care. This occasion saw the introduction of a second mobile clinic, increasing half Helen’s ability to provide even more essential resources to underserved communities.
Learn more at halfhelen.org or provide direct support here.
We thank you for helping us spread love to our community!
