Canterbury thespians have been busy baking sweet treats for an even sweeter cause.
Megan Holden, Jess Young, Kem Callaghan and Amy Lindborn joined forces to take part in the the Starship Big Bake Off, which was held over the weekend.
Their group, the Perveyors Of Ominous Productions, held its bake sale at Timaru’s Aidan Theatre and raised more than $1600 through donations and selling its home-made baking.
The money raised goes straight towards providing life-saving care, equipment and support for Starship children.
Mrs Callaghan has a special relationship with Starship after her son was treated there in 2012, after he accidentally spilled boiling water on his face.
‘‘We were visiting my parents, and Zeke, who was 18 months old, was helping me make tea. I asked him to help me take the cups into lounge, meaning for him to walk next me.
‘‘He thought I meant carry the cups and immediately grabbed the two cups stewing on the counter. Boiling water poured down his face, and I watched in horror as his skin started peeling and he started screaming.’’
The help they received from Starship was nothing less than incredible, she said.
‘‘They were my saviours. He just screamed and screamed until we got to Starship.
‘‘There were discussions of eye damage, airway damage and the guilt I felt was next level. I was blaming myself, on top of being scared for him.
‘‘Thanks to their efforts, he was perfectly fine within a week. They had booked him in for surgery but by that time he had healed so quickly that they pulled him from the list. They were shocked at how fast he had healed and within six months you couldn’t even tell.
‘‘If he hadn’t got the treatment he got from Starship his life could have been so different.’’
Mrs Callaghan said it was great to be able to give just a little bit back.
“I’m a sucker for a good fundraiser so I would have done it anyway, but it was huge to be able to raise some money for Starship, obviously having gone through it.
‘‘We’ve only seen a small part of Starship compared to what some families have but just seeing that little bit was enough to know that if we don’t have something like that so many kids and families will miss out on that support.
‘‘It’s so important to have that quality of staff and quality expertise available to anyone who needs it. We didn’t have to pay a cent for Zeke’s treatment, so it’s nice to give back, because those costs don’t come from nowhere.’’
She said the bake sale itself absolutely surpassed expectations.
‘‘We were blown away by how many people came in and the support and excitement around it was really cool. I completely sold out of everything. I think we only ended up bringing one packet of biscuits home.
‘‘It was really nice to be able to have those conversations about shared experiences with some of the people who came to support the bake sale as well.’’
Megan Holden, who organised the group, said she was immediately compelled to sign up.
‘‘I learnt about the fundraiser from a Facebook post and immediately signed up, as I have four kids.
‘‘Unlike Kem and her family, we’ve never had a trip to Starship — Timaru Hospital a few times — but knowing the amazing care they provide is important and hearing Kem’s story made this even more justified.
‘‘It helped that I, for the most part, love to bake and it’s an activity I can do with the kids, so getting them involved at times was lots of fun.’’
She said it was great to be able to get other members of the local theatre community involved.
‘‘When I signed up, I saw the option to create a team, so to get the most out of the event I thought getting others involved was important.
‘‘The four of us have worked together during the Christmas pantomime times and Jess and Kem are a fantastic driving force and promoters.
‘‘Amy is a qualified baker and a super creator in everything she does, so getting this awesome team involved seemed like a no-brainer.
‘‘The overall outcome for me was pretty fantastic, when all our lives are so busy in other areas, too.’’
The fundraiser is open until the end of the month and anyone wishing to make a donation can still do so on the Perveyors Of Ominous Productions page at starshipbigbakeoff.org.nz
