When it comes to caring about their customers, Whitewater’s The SweetSpot takes their dedication to another sweet, cupcake-filled level.

This month, The SweetSpot will host a month of giving, donating the proceeds from cupcakes to three causes: the Best Friends Animal Society, the Alzheimer’s Association, and the Ovarian Cancer Alliance for Wisconsin.

All three of the ideas for these fundraisers were suggested to The SweetSpot employees by customers who had personal ties to the causes.

Lacey Reichwald, owner and general manager of The SweetSpot, said it’s important to connect with something that is important to their customers.

“It would be easy for us to just write a check for a cause,” Reichwald said. “The fact that we can create a treat that is benefiting something a customer cares about means a lot more to us.”

Reichwald’s mother and baker at The SweetSpot, Karen Moline, said helping out their customers is something she truly enjoys.

“It’s fun for us,” Moline said. “It gives the customer an opportunity to give to a cause, and it makes them feel good at the same time.”

When approached by customers to help out with these fundraisers, Reichwald and Moline couldn’t pick between the three. Instead, they decided to dedicate 10 days to each cause during the month of September by selling cupcakes for $2 each.

Pupcakes

From Sept. 1 through 10, The SweetSpot sold pupcakes, cupcake treats for canines, to their customers.

Inside these doggy treats were peanut butter, honey, bananas and other ingredients, topped with a milk bone and frosting made from cream cheese and honey.

The money from the pupcakes will benefit the Best Friends Animal Society’s annual “Strut your Mutt” fundraiser. This fundraiser benefits animal shelters across the entire county.

“Our business partner, Peggy Race, adopted a dog from the Best Friend Animal Society, and this fundraiser was her idea,” Reichwald said. “This was our idea on how to raise money for the association.”

In the first three days, The SweetSpot sold over 75 pupcakes. The employees had a goal of selling 200, Reichwald said.

Cupcakes for Alzheimer’s and Ovarian Cancer

Reichwald and Moline decided to sell chocolate and vanilla cupcakes topped with purple frosting from Sept. 11 through 20.  The proceeds for these purple cupcakes will go to the Alzheimer’s Association.

A customer of The SweetSpot emailed Reichwald for the idea, and this is the first time the shop has donated to this cause, Reichwald said.

For the final 10 days of September, The SweetSpot will sell teal cupcakes in honor of Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month. This cause is especially close to the hearts of the employees.

“One of our very first and frequent customers, Marty, passed away a few years ago from ovarian cancer,” Reichwald said. “She hung up informational literature in the women’s bathroom to help warn other women of the symptoms.”

Because of the literature, another SweetSpot customer credits her life to Marty. The SweetSpot has been raising money for the Ovarian Cancer Alliance of Wisconsin for the past five years in memory of Marty and in support for their other customer, who is now a cancer survivor.

Upcoming fundraisers

The employees are also selling $1, $5 and $10 paper hearts to benefit the American Heart Association.

The money from these purchased hearts will benefit The SweetSpot team as the employees walk in the Fort Atkinson/Whitewater Heart Walk on Oct. 7.

This particular fundraiser is close to Reichwald and Moline’s hearts because Reichwalds’s grandfather, who is Moline’s father, passed away at a young age from heart disease.

The paper hearts are hung around The SweetSpot with the names of the customers who purchased them or someone who the heart is in honor of.

The SweetSpot employees have a goal of raising $1,000 for AHA, and they have a contest going on at the shop to see which barista can sell the most paper hearts.

With all of the causes The SweetSpot is raising money for, Reichwald said she wants the community to know they’re willing to lend a hand.

“Whitewater is a tight-knit community,” Reichwald said. “We want the community members and students to know we’re there for them if they need help supporting a cause.”

As for The SweetSpot cupcakes, Reichwald and Moline said these treats are a nice exchange for those who want to give back to a charity and still get something delicious in return.

“They’re popular with the customers,” Moline said. “Who doesn’t love cupcakes?”