Daniel Poku remembers the day he felt the calling. He and his brother decided to take a joy ride after they both received their licenses. Poku drove while his brother sat in the passenger seat.
Then, there was a stop sign.
There stood a homeless man with a scraggly beard who asked Poku for help. Before this day, Poku had never felt it was his duty to help the homeless. But on this day, Poku was in the driver’s seat and that homeless man was directly asking him.
From this eye-opening experience came Poku’s idea for CauseCakes the social movement.
By now, SMU is stirring with news about it. As seen on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, WordPress and Vimeo, just to name a few. CauseCakes is a cupcake business with a twist. The cupcakes are used to inspire others to perform random acts of kindness through messages on the cupcake wrapper. After purchasing a cupcake, for example, the customer will find a wrapper message to pay the bill of the person behind you in line at Starbucks. Then, that customer shares the experience via a social media website designated by the CauseCakes team.
Spearheaded and created by Daniel Poku, CauseCakes has five other members: Tyler Scott, who is in charge of marketing programs, Stephen Nelson, message development and outreach, Marc Feldman, website and customer engagement, Paul Curry, brand planning, and Kyle Spencer who handles product quality. They are all juniors.
With donations from friends, family and strangers, the team has raised over $9,000. Once they reach their goal amount of $12,500, they will package and sell cupcakes at The Original Cupcakery in Uptown.
Stephen Nelson, a member, said CauseCakes is more than just giving money.
“You as a customer get interaction with the random act of kindness. You do it yourself [and] you get to tell your story,” he said.
The team wants people to know that CauseCakes is not a product, but a movement.
Rosyln Dirden, owner of Something So Senational bakery in Dallas, weighed in on the movement.
“Maximize man power and minimize work,” Dirden offered as advice. “I see this as something for adults and kids. Everybody loves cupcakes,” she said.
Poku said CauseCakes is “all about action.” CauseCakes is not about making money or achieving fame. The goal is to impact at least one person’s life. For the team, success on a larger scale for CauseCakes means seeing the community, hearts and lives changed.
One of the more famous videos of the team doing a random act of kindness features the group buying groceries for a homeless man named Jerry standing on Mockingbird Lane.
“It felt so right and it was so easy,” said Scott.
“It’s so easy to get caught up in SMU, but there are real people with real needs,” Nelson said. “It was great to put a name to a face.”
Poku recounted the experience of helping Jerry. He said he felt nervous about being the one to address him. As the homeless man walked away to get a meal from the dumpster, Poku approached him and explained that the group wanted to buy him groceries. Poku said Jerry stared at him in disbelief and confusion.
After buying the groceries, Poku said he felt “incredible.”
Kate Soja, a friend, believes that CauseCakes will have success because of its mission.
“There is something about their mission that resonates with me. The world is crying out for it. People want to be uplifted,” Soja said.
Soja mentioned she was ready to see how SMU would back the movement.
Poku’s inspiration for CauseCakes came from a fortune cookie. He said he hates the taste of them but, is fascinated by the mystery of the fortune and could not help but to think what if he incorporated this idea into something better tasting.
And the rest is history.
A common theme arose for why they do community service: the rewarding effect of creating change in someone else’s circumstance.
Spencer said, “There is no greater feeling in the world than seeing a smile on someone’s face after helping them and hearing them thank you for your kindness. I have always loved community service because it is a win-win situation. Both individuals come out happy in the end.”
The team attributed their passion for community service to their families and upbringing.
Nelson said that “God calls us to love one another” and that is what he is doing.
The team comes from various backgrounds, religions and majors that vary from Portland, Ore. to Southlake, Texas and sports management to markets and cultures. They are “dynamic” as Nelson coined it.
The team is busy with homework and managing their new project. Outside of CauseCakes, these students work, volunteer and spend time in activities they love like football and dancing.
“Free time is not wasted time,” said Scott. But he called CauseCakes joyful homework. “Being who you want to be takes sacrifice.”
These friends inspire and push each other toward success.
The team hopes to leave a legacy that demonstrates their passion for servitude.
“People will forget what you did, they will forget what you said, but they won’t forget how you made them feel,” Nelson said.
Poku said that if society demonstrated the same dedication in its careers into serving others, change would occur.
“CauseCakes is a movement by people that embrace this bold idea that if you had been thinking of someone else, something great could happen,” Poku said.
CauseCake’s fundraising ended March 1. To donate or get involved, you can contact a member directly or visit their CauseCakes “Like” page on Facebook. Details such as cupcake flavors are still in progress.
