My son Noah has inspired me to be a better person. Do better. Give better. Think bigger! He has inspired me to inspire others. That is how the “Bake a Difference” Cookbook came to be at the Embassy Suites Seattle Airport. I am grateful to work for a hotel brand that not only promotes “Making a Difference” in the community, but gave us an opportunity to apply for a grant to help move our project from the “idea” phase to the “reality” phase. This year, we were selected by our hotel brand leaders as one of three finalists for the “I Can Make a Difference” award, and were later chosen by our peers across North America as the overall recipient of $7500! The cookbook is a collaboration between our team members and the Puget Sound Down syndrome community and all of the funds will go towards creating a cookbook that will be filled with favorite family recipes, a bit of family history, and a special something about the members of the Down syndrome community. This, combined with beautiful professional photographs of our friends in the Down syndrome community will prove to be a valuable tool in sharing our families with the community, thus hopefully generating participation in more Puget Sound Down Syndrome Community events. Our intent is to not only promote awareness of Down syndrome and how we share more similarities than differences, but also to generate a continuous flow of revenue that will help this small organization, help others. We felt like we wanted to do more than a one-time donation… we wanted to create a legacy. Noah has truly inspired all of us at the hotel and has given us the drive to give back to our local community. He has a smile that will light up the room and is the cutest little chef you have ever seen! We are thrilled to have the backing of the Embassy Suites brand behind our cookbook project and can’t wait to deliver the final product!