A Bryn Mawr teenager who started baking birthday cakes for children in need has earned national recognition for her growing community effort, according to Ed Williams for Main Line Today.
Sarah Kokas, a 15-year-old student at The Agnes Irwin School, recently received the Gold Level Presidential Volunteer Service Award for her youth-led initiative supporting children’s mental health through baking and acts of care.
Kokas launched Baking a Difference for Kids when she was just 10 years old, baking birthday cakes for children staying in emergency shelters. The effort has since expanded into a broader regional initiative. Last year, she also helped launch the You Matter Birthday Bags project, distributing 325 birthday cake kits to area food pantries so families could celebrate their children’s birthdays.
Her mission has drawn community support over the years. In 2025, Kokas partnered with local artist Rick McKnight for a charity art exhibit at Main Line Unitarian Church in Devon, raising more than $5,000 for Family Promise of the Main Line, the shelter that first inspired her project.
Kokas says the idea behind the initiative is simple but meaningful.
“Something as simple as a birthday cake can make a child feel like they matter,” she said.
To learn more about the charitable Bryn Mawr teen, visit Main Line Today.
