Auburn, Washington (by Billie Wright) - Billy Cheplic loves to bake for family and friends. His treats, including cake, bread, and cookies, have a special impact. Billy has autism.
“I bake so I make people happy!”
Billy's mom, Tina, says he has "so much empathy and care for people". She explains how happy Billy is and never in a bad mood.
She commits the time and effort into getting the ingredients and delivering the baked goods to as many people as they can. And it's quite the commitment. Tina and Billy can spend six hours during drop-off days visiting the list of people requesting Billy's items.
Tina explains how it all started. "In 2020, due to COVID...he started baking and dropping things off for his grandpa." She noticed Billy wanted to see his grandparents, whom he is close with, even though they were isolating during the lockdown. It then spread to neighbors. She says, "It just kind of took off!"
Billy was inspired to bake by his culinary arts teacher, Miss Marci. She sparked his passion for creating sweet treats. Tina shares that her grandfather was also a baker, "It's just a family thing."
Hear more about how the community of family and friends surrounding Billy have stepped up to help the Cheplics keep it going: