PARK RIDGE, Ill. — She may only be 16, but Park Ridge’s Ella Goldklanghas already figured out the recipe for change: Find something you love and then use it to help someone you love.
“My older brother is 18-years-old. He is a grade above me in school. He has autism and I’ve been able to see throughout his life how he’s grown, how he’s progressed and that has deeply affected me and my family,” she said.
Ella loves to bake and she got to thinking, what if she could her love of baking to help others like her brother? So she did. She squeezed in studies for a Cottage Food License, right along with algebra and the ACT, to launch Meaningful Muffins by Ella.
She will bake late into the night to fulfill orders for the next morning with every penny going to non-profits that promote inclusivity and support individuals with differing abilities.
“I just felt like it was a big deal to donate everything because there are other families in the world in the same situation,” she said.