Nothing Bundt Cakes of Okemos fundraises for mental health awareness

Nothing Bundt Cakes, a new bakery in Okemos, held a fundraiser benefit at their ribbon cutting on Friday, donating 20% of sales to the Gregory H. Montgomery Jr. Foundation for Ultimate Growth. 

The foundation was started after former Michigan State University and NFL punter Greg Montgomery lost his battle with mental illness in 2020. They strive to provide mental health resources for all the student-athletes at MSU. 

“Greg was a friend in school … he was just really someone I thought highly of,” Okemos Nothing Bundt Cakes owner Wendy Kinney said. “I kept in touch with him through his struggle with bipolar disorder because it’s something that’s near and dear to my heart.”

The foundation also developed a curriculum for coaches to discuss mental wellness with athletes called S.C.O.R.E.

“That’s ‘strive, connect, overcome, recharge, and evolve,” president of the Gregory H. Montgomery Jr. Foundation for Ultimate Growth and Montgomery’s sister, Margot Montgomery Moran, said.

Moran’s family also has close ties with MSU.

“Both my brothers and my dad all played for the Michigan State Spartans football,” Moran.

Montgomery was a mental health advocate from the time he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. 

“He really wanted to spread the (awareness) … his mission got interrupted,” Moran said. “It’s our duty as a family to continue on, and the motto of his foundation is ‘He lives through lives saved.’”

The Kappa Kappa Gamma chapter at Michigan State also supports Ultimate Growth as a part of their philanthropy and were present at the event. One of their national philanthropies is based on mental health awareness.

“It’s an amazing opportunity for us to make awareness … for us to support not only girls within our sorority but other people too,” philanthropy chairman of Kappa Kappa Gamma Bryce Gordon said. “You are heard, you are not alone.”