The Easton Foundation announced this week that Faith Baird will serve as Grand Marshal of its 8th Battle of the Heroes charity flag football game this Saturday. Faith is the co-founder of Brownies by Faith in Cornelia.
Baird, known locally for her inspiring personality and perseverance, was chosen for the honor last year, but the event was canceled due to COVID.
The young entrepreneur has overcome many obstacles to becoming a successful businesswoman. Born prematurely, she spent the first five-and-a-half months of her life in the hospital and was later diagnosed with level 2 autism.
Faith will be honored during halftime festivities at the Battle of the Heroes game on August 14. The game is a fundraiser for the Easton Foundation and pits first responders from Habersham and Banks counties against fellow first responders from Hall County.
“We are incredibly excited to host Faith as the Grand Marshal this year,” says Easton Foundation Board Chair Glenn Ingram. “Growing up in Habersham, I’ve seen firsthand the impact that Faith and her story have had on this community, and it’s inspirational.”
A dream come true
Brownies by Faith was established in October 2017 by Faith and her mother Misty Baird based on an earlier conversation between them about what Faith wanted to do after graduating from high school. Faith said she “wanted to bake” and the rest is history.
In just four short years, the Bairds have grown their brownie baking business from an online-only store to a retail bakery shop in historic downtown Cornelia. In 2019, the Habersham Chamber of Commerce presented them with its Entrepreneur of the Year Award.
The bakery, which originally opened on Irvin Street in Cornelia (see video), recently moved to a larger location at 1102 South Main Street.
The main message of their organization is that when you hear the name Brownies by Faith, it’s not just brownies baked by Faith, but it has taken a lot of faith to make their dream come true.
A full evening of activities
In June, the Easton Foundation announced the 8th Battle of the Heroes charity game will take place on August 14 with kickoff in Raider Stadium at 7 p.m. The Foundation will host an Inaugural Cruise-In before the game from 4:30-6:30 pm in front of the stadium on the Habersham Ninth Grade Academy campus in Mt. Airy.
A fireworks extravaganza will cap off the evening 15 minutes after the conclusion of the game.
The Easton Foundation 501 (c)(3) is based out of Habersham County, Georgia. After losing Easton Singleton, a beloved friend and teen to a car accident in 2012, the community rallied together to turn tragedy into triumph.
The Easton Foundation was founded by Casey Lizama shortly after Easton’s passing in 2012 as a way to help other teens with pain and loss, and also encourage youth to connect with their community and become leaders. Each year the Easton Foundation not only provides assistance in times of need but also awards numerous scholarships to help teens in the Northeast Georgia community pursue their dreams of higher education.
