Changing the worlds of girls all across the globe, She’s the First is a club at Brookfield Central whose goal is to provide girls in third world countries with an education. This December, She’s the First will be hosting a bake sale to raise money for girls’ education, called “She’s the First Bake-a-Change”. “This year we plan on hosting a holiday themed bake sale in December and the classic She’s the First tie-dye themed sale in the spring,” said Shweta Panda (‘20), a member of the She’s the First executive board.

In the time leading up to Bake-a-Change, a team of dedicated She’s the First members plan the bake sale. When the time of the bake sale arrives, equally hardworking She’s the First members donate baked goods to sell. “Our executive board organizes a spreadsheet for food and selling before hand and our members do the rest,” explained Panda. “Since our club is completely student-run, we always count on each other and I am proud to say our dedication definitely pays off.”

Last year was Brookfield Central’s first ever Bake-a-Change and running the event for the first time certainly proved to have its challenges. “I was new on the executive board and we were struggling to come up with effective fundraising techniques,” Panda recalled. “The organization contacted us via Instagram with this idea and their final donation acceptance date for bake-a-change (since they run it in the fall) was a week from that day!” Despite the closely impending deadline looming over their heads, Shweta, along with vice president Elise, determinedly planned out the fundraiser, and with the support of persevering She’s the First members, pulled it off. “To our surprise, many members brought in delicious looking treats and signed up to sell during their lunches. Within a week, we had organized a pretty successful fundraiser!” Overcoming these challenges is, no doubt, part of what makes Bake-a-Change such a special event. “Bake-a-change is an event I hold really close to my heart, and I can’t wait to host it again this year!” expressed Panda.

The most amazing thing about She’s the First Bake-a-Change is the impact it creates. Girls around the world are given the chance to have an education, completely changing their lives and opening up an entire world of opportunities. By sponsoring girls’ education, She’s the First empowers girls all across the globe, helping to make sure their voices are heard, and helping them discover what they are capable of. Not only that, by empowering and educating girls, entire communities are improved, collectively improving the world. “So for every $1000 dollars we donate, a girl goes to school for a year. This is one thing I really like about STF,” explained Panda. “Instead of dividing the donations between a hundred girls and each of them receiving a very low quality education, STF gives donations in sets so girls can achieve their dreams one at a time. While this is a slower process, it is far more rewarding and effective in my opinion.” Every chapter of She’s the First chooses the countries in which they sponsor girls’ education. In previous years, the Brookfield Central chapter has sponsored girls’ education in Ethiopia and Nepal.

“[She’s the First Bake-a-Change is] something super admirable for the BC community to do,” said Malena Weber (‘22), upon learning about the fundraiser. “I think it’s great that we can do things like this [to] help someone in need…I’m looking forward to supporting [Bake-a-Change]!” Brookfield Central students can support Bake-a-Change this December; the event will likely take place in the week preceding Winter Break. Remember, for every $1000 dollars raised, a girl will be able to go to school for a year. By supporting She’s the First Bake-a-Change, students will be able to support the incredible cause of educating and empowering girls all around the world.