Buy a cookie!
Bake sale raises money for pediatric cancer research
Shoppers at the Cookies For Kids’ Cancer research fundraiser event in south Charlotte Saturday, Dec. 4, had lots of treats to pick from. Cookies, brownies and cupcakes were crowd favorites.
Hundreds of south Charlotte bakers, volunteers and cookie lovers came together Saturday, Dec. 4, to raise money for pediatric cancer research with the third annual Cookies for Kids’ Cancer bake sale, raffle and silent auction.
Amy Christenbury and Lesa Helbein spearheaded the event, along with Christenbury’s children, Hayes, 13, a seventh-grader at Alexander Graham Middle School, Grace, 11, a fifth-grader at Selwyn Elementary School and Grier, 6, a kindergartner at Selwyn.
Doctors diagnosed Grier with stage 4 Neuroblastoma, a nerve cell cancer, in 2007. He was 2 years old. Since then, the family has worked to raise awareness for the fight that Grier and so many other children face.
The bake sale, which organizers held from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Blackhawk Hardware in the Park Road Shopping Center, raised thousands of dollars for pediatric cancer research, as hundreds of people milled around, searching through baskets of treats for the perfect choice.
“The event took months to plan and required lots of legwork, phone calls and emails,” Christenbury said. “We had 23 local bakeries help out, plus about 100 moms who baked items. It was cold on Saturday, but it was really crowded and it all went really well.”
The event was packed with volunteers, including Grayson Cassels and Sara Kathryn McCormick, who are both students at Charlotte Country Day School.
Cassels and McCormick were in charge of pulling the Cookies for Kids’ Cancer Little Red Wagon around the shopping center, braving the cold and maneuvering between large crowds to peddle their cookies and brownies.
“Everything we raise goes toward research,” McCormick, who goes to church with the Christenbury family, said proudly. “We’re doing it in honor of Grier.”
South Charlotte girls brave the cold weather Saturday, Dec. 4, to serve as the first line of attack at the Cookies For Kids’ Cancer fundraiser bake sale at the Park Road Shopping Center. The event, like others held by the south Charlotte nonprofit, was aimed at raising money to support pediatric cancer research.
Three girls stood outside the fundraiser, trying to lure in potential customers with signs and baskets. Customers pulled up and bought baked goods from the girls, who were dressed as cupcakes and chocolate chip cookies.
Bakers from Polka Dot Bake Shop, Nova, Tizzerts, Suarez and others turned out on Saturday to sell their confections and help the Charlotte community raise money.
The event offered a wide variety of baked goods, as well as a raffle and silent auction that included NASCAR tickets, gift cards to local restaurants and spas and art from local artists such as Anne Neilson, Pam Anderson, Caroline Simas and Windy O’Connor.
The event organizers will donate 100 percent of the money raised to Cookies for Kids’ Cancer.
While organizers are still working to calculate the total generated by the event, Christenbury said they raised at least $20,000 on Saturday alone. Earlier contributions and proceeds from a satellite bake sale held at Birkdale Village in Huntersville have yet to be factored in, and Christenbury said that, days later, people are still sending in donations.
“These events are all volunteer-driven and all of the money goes to research,” Christenbury said. “Our donation will be matched by both Bank of America and Glad, so it’s easy to see how a couple of cookies can turn into a huge donation.”
According to the organization’s website, the goal of Cookies for Kids’ Cancer is, “raising funds to support research for new and improved therapies for pediatric cancer. Through the concept of local bake sales, Cookies for Kids’ Cancer provides the inspiration and support for individuals, communities, and businesses to help fight pediatric cancer.”
For more information, visit www.cookiesforkidscancer.org/.
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