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Wingen Bakery owners, Aimee and Bryan Wingen, are gearing up to host their second annual "Way Day" event this weekend in honor of their late daughter, Waylynn.
The Wingens kicked off the first Way Day last December in celebration of what would have been Waylynn's first birthday. Waylynn died in August of 2020 at 8 months old after being diagnosed with a terminal genetic disorder called Zellweger syndrome.
Way Day is an initiative that raises money for the Taylor Family Foundation, a local nonprofit that serves children living with life-threatening and chronic illnesses, developmental disabilities and at-risk youth through therapeutic programs and support.
Following tradition, this year's event will be held on Waylynn's birthday again, which is this Saturday (Dec. 4).
"The birthday of a bereaved loved one can bring up many emotions and this week, we pledge to go easy on ourselves and to enjoy remembering the tiny spirit that sparked this whole bakery," the couple wrote in an Instagram post announcing the event.
The bakery, along with other vendors and businesses will be selling items that feature Waylynn's signature red beanie and donating a portion of the proceeds from their sales to the Taylor Family Foundation.
Downtown restaurant Range Life Livermore — where Aimee and Bryan both previously worked — is also participating in the event by donating 10% of its sales on Saturday to the foundation.
Last year's Way Day was held before the Wingens opened their downtown storefront located at 50 S. Livermore Ave. The event included a virtual 5K Fun Run/Walk. Aimee Wingen told Livermore Vine that due to being short on time for planning, they were unable to organize the run this year but plan to bring it back in the future and possibly collaborate with the city of Livermore.
"Now that we have our brick and mortar we feel like we can really expand the race but we didn't want to do it without proper planning," Aimee said. "Running is something that Bryan found stress-reducing when the pandemic hit and Waylynn was sick, so this is very special to him to host a race again," she added.
Having the physical bakery, however, allowed the couple to pivot from the race this year and offer a space where people can come together to celebrate Waylynn and still contribute to the cause.
Items that will be sold at the bakery on Saturday as part of Way Day, include red beanie pins from SuperCoolHeckYeah; red beanies from southern California-based shop, Vali Cali; red beanie cookies from local cottage bakery, Iced To Perfection and Waylynn's birthday cupcakes from Wingen Bakery.
The event will run from 8 a.m.-2:30 p.m. while supplies last. More information can be found on Instagram @wingenbakery.
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