NEW YORK — This week, bakeries across the United States are cooking up
purple cupcakes in an effort to increase awareness about epilepsy nationwide.
The Great Purple Cupcake Project is an initiative of The Anita Kaufmann
Foundation — an American epilepsy education organization and the US Sponsor of
Purple Day for epilepsy awareness.
The Great Purple Cupcake Project provides a simple and delectable way for local
businesses to educate their communities and support the international day for
epilepsy awareness, Purple Day. Joining the project are over 75 bakeries from
California to New York, ranging in size from family-owned shops to multi-store
chains. Proceeds donated from purple cupcake sales will benefit epilepsy
awareness.
“Cupcakes are a great way to get the word out about epilepsy. They appeal to
everyone, young and old,” says Heather Carter, Co-Owner of Cupcakes Gourmet in
Frazer, PA. “It’s our hope that attaching a cupcake to a health condition
affecting so many will help get epilepsy the attention it deserves.”
Epilepsy affects more than 3 million Americans and 50 million people worldwide.
That’s one out of every 100 people! Yet, many people living with epilepsy still
face discrimination due to a lack of awareness about the disorder.
Taking place on March 26th annually, Purple Day was founded in 2008, by
nine-year-old Canadian, Cassidy Megan. Motivated by her own struggles with
epilepsy, Cassidy created the day to tell other kids about the disorder and
inform those with seizures that they are not alone. She named the day after the
internationally recognized color for epilepsy, lavender. For more information,
please visit www.purpleday.org.
To learn more about The Great Purple Cupcake Project and for a list of
participating bakeries, please visit
www.akfus.org.
Photos available upon request.
The Anita Kaufmann Foundation (AKF) is a non-profit organization whose mission
is to educate the public not to fear epilepsy and seizures. AKF provides free
epilepsy education and seizure first aid programs and materials across the
United States in an effort to eliminate stigma and increase awareness about the
condition and its impact on families and entire communities. For more
information, please visit www.akfus.org or call 201-655-0420.
Source:
The Anita Kaufmann Foundation