Take a bite out of cancer this Saturday at 2010 Burgerfest in Village of Hamburg
By BETH SILVERMAN
Correspondent reporter The Sun
A national organization that raises funds for pediatric cancer research will be at the 2010 Burgerfest celebration in the Village of Hamburg this weekend.
“Cookies for Kids’ Cancer” will have a booth at the Burgerfest on Saturday, July 17 to sell cookies from noon to 8 p.m.
All of the proceeds from this event will benefit Cookies for Kids’ Cancer, which donates 100 percent of its proceeds to top cancer research centers across the United States.
The fundraiser is being organized by two Hamburg mothers, Angela Mirusso and Beth Walters. So far, Mirusso is aware of at least 30 to 40 people who are volunteering to bake cookies for the event.
Mirusso added that her best friends, Sandra Vaccaro and Nancy Deyo, have donated hours of their time to baking and other preparations for the event. She noted that a core group of 10 volunteers has been helping to coordinate the event.
“We wanted to help the community and give back to people who face challenges,” said Mirusso. “This event will be about awareness, fundraising and being part of the community.” Mirusso and Walters hope to raise awareness of pediatric cancer research, allow individuals of all economic backgrounds to purchase the cookies with fairness in pricing and to show that they truly care about their community.
“It’s an outlet for us to do something great. Giving is one release people can do to make a difference. We’re just really good friends doing good things for a great cause.”
Over the past few weeks, Mirusso and Walters solicited funds and in-kind donations from 200 businesses in the community and also took part in a bake-off with several other individuals at the kitchen at Michael’s Banquet Facility in Hamburg. At that bake-off, 60 dozen cookies were baked.
Attendees of the Burgerfest are invited to visit the Cookies for Kids’ Cancer tent, which will have cookies for sale; information about a local boy, Andrew Krolczyk, who is fighting neuroblastoma, a form of pediatric cancer; the opportunity to make a donation to the cause; and the chance to make connections with others in the community. Mirusso said “the more, the merrier. Come see us!”
“Pediatric cancer is the number one cause of death by disease of kids under the age of 18 in the United States,” noted Emily Fowler, director of outreach at Cookies for Kids’ Cancer. “We’ve been amazed by how few people know that fact. Even fewer know about the lack of funding for new treatments for pediatric cancer. It’s not the science that’s lacking, it’s the funds. Scientists and researchers are simply waiting for funding to offer new and improved treatments for kids battling cancer.”
Cookies for Kids’ Cancer was founded in 2008 by parents Gretchen and Larry Witt, who were inspired by their son’s ongoing battle with pediatric cancer.
The foundation, headquartered in New Jersey, started with a holiday cookie sale in 2007 that baked and sold 96,000 cookies with a team of more than 250 volunteers.
and led to the founding of an organization that supports all types of pediatric cancer. Since the success of the first event, thousands of bake sales have been held across the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico, and the United Kingdom.
“I empathize with the organizers of Cookies for Kids’ Cancer that have children with cancer,” said Mirusso. “When you have a health scare in your family, you get a tingling feeling in your stomach, the ‘what if’ feeling.” Mirusso added that she cannot imagine what it would feel like to get the call from the doctor with information telling her that her child has cancer. For all the children and their families that have received that call, this fundraiser is about making a difference in their lives through community awareness and funding donations for research.
For more information about Cookies for Cancer, go online and visit www.cookiesforkidscancer.org.
The sale raised more than $400,000 in support of a promising pediatric cancer treatment
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