Cake Wars 2015 - A Huge Success
On Wednesday, February 18th, after months of preparation, the event both YU and Stern students had been anticipating all year, finally arrived— Sharsheret’s Cake Wars 2015. With over 300 participants composing over 40 teams, students from both campuses came together to support Sharsheret, a breast cancer awareness and research organization, decorating cakes with hopes of becoming Cake Wars champions.
The evening began with an informational and inspirational speech about the organization, given by Shera Dubitsky, the Director of Navigation and Support Services at Sharsheret. She shared some personal anecdotes of her connection with women afflicted with breast cancer and explained the importance of the interconnected web of support Sharsheret offers. Moreover, she eloquently delivered the message that Sharsheret is important because it gives individuals strength and a sense of unity knowing that they are not alone, in their battle. Dubitsky was followed by Avi Kessler, the president of Sharsheret on the YU campus, who delivered a heartfelt and passionate introduction and welcoming to the event. Subsequently, he revealed the theme of the evening— heroism. This theme was intended to be incorporated into the design of each cake decorated during the competition.
Heroism is an ideal that truly fit as the theme of the evening. It is recorded that about one in every eight women will develop breast cancer over the course of their lives, and every individual that fights the battle is a hero. In fact, there were quite a few very creative cakes that embodied this notion. One of the many innovative ideas was a “Pinkerbell” cake that had the appearance of a pink-Tinkerbell, who would go around curing individuals with her fairy dust. Another cake from the evening, was an extremely realistic sub-sandwich stylized cake, based on the concept of a “heroes sub sandwich.” The winning cake, however, was modeled off the Superman symbol. Overall, all the cakes were exceptional, each in its own, special way.
The event was a hit, a huge success. Carly Friedman of Stern College, said, “I had the most incredible time! I not only helped raise money for an important cause, but I had a fun time doing it too.” Sophomore Akiva Marder similarly exclaimed, “I didn’t know I could have such a good time at a YU event. I wish there could be a Cake Wars twice a semester!”
Beyond the cake decorating, merchandise was sold, such as YU Sharsheret t-shirts, sunglasses, pens, stress balls, pins, decks of cards, and more. In addition, there was a specialized backdrop in which students could don cool gear and take pictures in front of a Sharsheret photo-booth. With the act of giving in the air that evening, many participants stayed behind to assist the YU Sharsheret board in cleaning up, while girls from Stern took many of the remaining cakes to Times Square to give them out to the homeless.
Kessler beautifully summed up the evening and gave YU students much to look forward to in the coming years. “Cake Wars stands alone as one of the most anticipated events of the year here at YU. Each year the Sharsheret club works fervently to improve and build upon the event, creating a product that is fresh, more appealing, and more successful than previously. We have the unique opportunity to share our passion for such an important organization as Sharsheret, while creating a vibrant and spirited event aimed at defeating Breast Cancer. Cake Wars 2015 brought out a significantly larger crowd and we were able to raise 25% more than we have in years past. The students were clearly pumped to be there and they built some of the most unique and professional looking cakes I have ever seen. Overall, Cake Wars 2015 was a monumental success and the planning toward Cake Wars 2016 is already underway.”
