Brightpoint Brightpoint
When Grayce became pregnant at sixteen, she found support through the Women’s Care Center, which connected her to Brightpoint for insurance, SNAP benefits, and child care assistance. As she and her husband Eric built their family, they eventually became financially stable enough that they no longer needed assistance. But in 2018, tragedy struck when one of her identical twins, Izaac, was stillborn. The grief that followed led to severe postpartum depression, leaving Grayce searching for a way forward.
Eight months later, a simple request from a friend to make a cake became an unexpected turning point. Baking gave her a few hours of relief from her grief. Encouraged by her friend, Grayce began imagining a business not for herself but in honor of her twins. That idea became Icing for Izaac, which she launched from her home in 2019. The business grew quickly, later moving into a shared commercial kitchen and eventually into its own renovated space in April 2023. This project was made possible through a $50,000 loan from the Brightpoint Development Fund.
As demand increased, Grayce faced cash flow challenges that are common for growing businesses. Brightpoint supported her again with a debt consolidation loan, approved in March of this year, which helped her stabilize the business. By summer, Icing for Izaac had expanded to 16 employees and was serving weddings, graduations, special events, and wholesale clients across Fort Wayne.
Through every hardship, Grayce has transformed pain into purpose. She hopes her journey inspires others to keep going, even when facing barriers from circumstances or unsupportive environments. “If I can do it, anybody can do it,” she says, determined to use her experience to encourage others.