Every fall, as the weather begins to turn, Clarke welcomes Tim’s Team back to their award-winning Sub-Zero, Wolf and Cove showroom, where a half-dozen Wolf ovens and scores of volunteers streamline the Timmy Cakes baking marathon. These dedicated bakers produce more than 350 delicious chocolate cakes during Labor Day week to raise money for the Timothy O’Connell Foundation to support families faced with pediatric cancer.
When Joanne O’Connell describes a little boy with a warm smile and loving spirit, she says he would make you laugh with his impish curiosity and inspire you with his leadership. His favorite color? Orange. Favorite food? The special chocolate cake his mom made for him every year for his birthday. On September 9, 2008, Tim O’Connell died of acute myeloid leukemia, just two days after his tenth birthday. From the time Tim was diagnosed in 2007, family, friends and neighbors in the O’Connell’s hometown of Holliston, Mass., wanted to help in some way. And they are still making a difference in his memory more than 16 years later. Touched by Tim’s strength and courage, thousands of people have come forward in different ways. In addition to baking Timmy Cakes, their family, friends and community have participated in fun runs, marathons, wiffle ball tournaments and the Orange Appeal, an evening of camaraderie, delicious food and education. Together they have raised more than $1.2 million dollars for the Timothy O’Connell Foundation.
The Clarke staff is honored to be part of Tim’s Team.
In 2010, Clarke CEO Tom Clarke learned about the O’Connells’ Timmy Cakes tradition and the fact that it was growing beyond their expectations. He offered up his Milford, Mass. showroom and its Wolf ovens to help with the heartfelt culinary tradition. The initial batch of 50 Timmy Cakes has now grown to more than 350 cakes each September. Joanne has created an impressive process that includes measuring and packaging dried ingredient bags ready to go for every cake before the baking teams arrive at Clarke. The creamy chocolate icing is lovingly spread across each two-layer cake and every member of Timmy’s Team knows to scribe an initial “T” on each Timmy Cake, in memory of the little boy with the big smile and kind heart.
“We are so proud to be part of Tim’s Team,” said Clarke president Sean Clarke. “Almost everyone at Clarke is a parent or a grandparent. We are so proud to be the place where wonderful ingredients and true love are poured into Timmy Cakes, and we are humbled to be able to participate in helping families struggling with the challenges of pediatric cancer.”
The Timothy O’Connell Foundation’s efforts have helped fund Make-A-Wish, Jimmy Fund and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute initiatives, provided tuition to medical students studying treatment of Acute Myeloid Leukemia, and funded grief support groups. For more information or to make a donation, please visit the Timothy O’Connell Foundation website.