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A GRADUATE needs two things to make
the day complete. The first is a diploma.
The second is having a piece of celebratory cake.
Ordering a graduation cake
from a Costco bakery is as easy
as ABC.
A. Find the special-order
form at the bakery and select the kind
of cake you want. Costco offers white or
chocolate cakes with three choices for filling:
vanilla cheesecake, chocolate mousse or strawberry mousse. The bakeries ice the cakes with
white buttercream, chocolate buttercream or
Philadelphia cream cheese icing. Another
option is carrot cake filled with apricot mousse
and topped with cream cheese icing.
B. After choosing the kind of cake and the
filling, indicate the graduation theme, school
colors and personalized message you want.
C. Submit your order and pick it up 24
hours later.
CAKE PHOTO: FRANCE FREEMAN
Each warehouse makes its cakes from
scratch and uses the freshest ingredients for
the cake, icing and filling.
Measuring 12 by 16 inches and weighing
about 9 pounds, Costco cakes are a great value.
Most grocery-store cakes weigh approximately
5. 5 pounds, are filled with jam or pudding and
cost more than a Costco cake.
“Graduation cakes are always best when
served fresh, so plan on picking yours
up as close to the event as possible,” says
Sue McConnaha, who oversees the
bakery operations. “However, please
keep in mind that orders must be placed
at least 24 hours in advance.”
Cakes should be refrigerated until
served. If you’ll be traveling a long distance
with the cake, you may want to consider storing it in a cooler.
Costco cakes are also great for weddings,
Mother’s Day, Father’s Day and family reunions.—Stephanie E. Ponder
Raising
miracles
EACH MAY, bright orange and yellow striped
balloons begin rising in Costco warehouses
everywhere. Some warehouses will sponsor
carnivals, contests or other events fueled by
employee creativity.
It’s all designed to support the Children’s
Miracle Network, a nonprofit organization
dedicated to raising money for 170 hospitals
that provide medical care for more than 17
million children affected with diseases, injuries
and birth defects of every kind—regardless of
their ability to pay.
Children’s Miracle Network hospitals:
• Provide $2.5 billion in charity care
each year.
• Treat 98 percent of all children needing
heart or lung transplants, 88 percent of all children with cancer, 76 percent of all children with
cystic fibrosis, 90 percent of all children with
sickle cell anemia, and 72 percent of all children with pediatric AIDS.
• Devote 60 percent of their services to children under age 6 and 25 percent to newborns.
• Train 60 percent of pediatricians and
80 percent of all pediatric specialists.
Hawaii Kai’s Vince Hill—
2006 top balloon seller.
• Educate families about child safety
seats, helmet and bike safety, and other issues.
While the organization is committed to
children, Costco is committed to the Children’s
Miracle Network.
“We believe that the excitement created
by the Children’s Miracle Network campaign stems from the fact that the dollars
raised in each location go to the network
hospital in the geographic area where Costco
does business,” explains Art Jackson, Costco’s
vice president of general administration. Last
year, Costco raised a record $9.3 million, not
including company match.
Fundraising events have inspired communities to take action. Lesly Finlay, a cashier
assistant in La Habra, California, works with
special-needs students at a local elementary
school in her time away from Costco. She
took a tour of Childrens Hospital Los
Angeles and shared the heartfelt experience
with her students, who donated $142. It may
not sound like much, but it was what they
had in their piggy banks.
When you enter a Costco warehouse in
May, please raise a balloon by making a donation to the Children’s Miracle Network and
help your community serve its kids.
(Note: TalkingRain will donate 25 cents to
Children’s Miracle Network for every case of
TalkingRain Sparkling ICE and Botanicals sold
at Costco warehouses in May.)—Steve Fisher
