Cool: Anyone who has anticipated a new child coming knows the blessing that expecting can be. A local couple is tapping into that feeling to make their period of expecting into a blessing for others by turning their baby shower into a benefit event. And they hope other expectant families do the same.

“I created the Bun in the Oven Benefit to help expand charity by combining fundraisers with private social events,” said Beautiful Existence, a Seattle-area expectant mom.

“I’ve been planning fundraising and community events for over 20 years, it only made sense to be an example of charity and take what would normally be a day of receiving gifts and instead make it a day of giving gifts to those in need,” she said. Her partner Dante Schultz added, “We wanted to use this time to not only have all our friends and family together but to give back to the community at the same time.” Beautiful and Dante’s event will benefit Solid Ground’s Broadview Shelter.

“We choose the Broadview Shelter as our initial beneficiary because of my strong desire to serve the mothers and babies that a domestic violence shelter houses. Solid Ground has such an amazing standing in our community that the decision to help them was natural and easy,”  Beautiful said.

Beautiful hopes Bun in the Oven becomes a model that can be tailored to any expectant couple’s shower planning needs, incorporating personal themes beneficiaries.

“Our hope is that our future benefits will help bring more communities and organizations together to serve the people who need it the most,” Beautiful added.

The couple would like to share the concept of their new benefit with two other Seattle-area expecting couples and are requesting email submissions (parents’ names and baby’s projected birthdate) for a chance to attend on their blog at: www.beautifulexistences.com. Not only will the winning couples get to attend this inaugural event, but they will receive gift baskets and be able to enter drawings to take home some local and nationally donated art!  The entries will be taken until April 10^th with the winners announced on April 15^th.