Help Change Lives With a Cookie

OAKLAND, Calif., Nov. 10 /PRNewswire/ -- Baking homemade treats is a holiday tradition for many Americans, and this year you can let your goodies do more than satisfy someone's sweet tooth. Turn your holiday cookie exchange or neighborhood party into a bake sale to support pediatric cancer research and The Glad Products Company will sweeten the pot(1).

The maker of Glad® food storage solutions has partnered with Cookies for Kids' Cancer(TM), a non-profit organization committed to funding pediatric cancer research by raising money through local bake sales and on-line cookie sales. This November and December, Glad® will match all donations raised by the charity up to $100,000.

Pediatric cancer is the leading cause of death by disease for children under the age of 18 in the U.S., killing more children than asthma, diabetes, cystic fibrosis and AIDS combined(2). Yet, approximately half of the oncology drugs used to treat children with cancer are at least 20 years old(3) and many of the treatments most children receive today were created for adults(4).

"As a mother of a son with cancer, I can't sit back and wait for a cure," said Gretchen Witt, founder of Cookies for Kids' Cancer(TM). "I want to know I did everything I could to save my son's life and the lives of other children. I won't accept that pediatric cancer robs families of more children than any other disease, yet there are little to no new treatments available." The mission of Cookies for Kids' Cancer(TM) is to bring awareness to this issue and make it a national priority.

Cookies For a Cause
Cookies For Kids' Cancer(TM) was founded by Gretchen and her husband Larry after receiving news that their two-year-old son Liam had a deadly form of pediatric cancer with only a 30 percent survival rate. Their doctors said that part of the reason for these low odds is because not enough money is being spent on pediatric cancer research.

Gretchen decided she would start raising money and came up with "a crazy idea for a bake sale." In three weeks in December 2007, she and 250 volunteers baked and sold 96,000 cookies, raising more than $400,000 for pediatric cancer research. Long after the bake sale was over, people reached out wanting to help and Cookies for Kids' Cancer(TM) was born.

And the Witt's commitment to helping to save lives is doing just that. In fact, the first bake sale helped fund a humanized antibody that is currently in trials and might soon be available to more children affected by the disease.

"But we're not going to stop there," said Gretchen. "More money means more research and more chances for kids with cancer to survive. I'm so grateful to everyone who has done a bake sale or is considering hosting one. They need to know they are making an immediate difference in improving the odds for children's survival and showing their parents what it means to live with hope."

Bake a Difference This Holiday
To help consumers host a Cookies For Kids' Cancer(TM) bake sale, the maker of Glad® products is offering a free "Be a Good Cookie" bake sale starter kit at GladToGive.com complete with step-by-step instructions on how to host a bake sale, cookie recipes from famous chefs, Glad® products and more. With its disposable containers, food bags and wraps, Glad®( )can help you transport and share your bake sale treats while keeping them fresh and delicious.

"We at Glad® feel honored to be a part of this important cause," said Jim Wolfe, Vice President and General Manager at Glad®. "This is about helping kids, and what better way to do this than bringing together families and friends with a bake sale."

Transform your annual holiday baking activities into a Cookies for Kids' Cancer(TM) bake sale with tips and recipes you can find at www.GladtoGive.com. And let the sweetness go further by taking advantage of Glad's contribution and registering your charitable bake sale at www.cookiesforkidscancer.org.

(1) The Glad® Products Company will match all money raised by Cookies For Kids' Cancer up to $100,000 in November and December 2009.
(2) Reaman, Gregory H., Dr. Research Cures Childhood Cancer . 1 Jan. 2009. 13 July 2009 http://su2c.standup2cancer.org/node/2670 .
(3) "Making Better Drugs for Children with Cancer" Institute of Medicine, http://www.iom.edu/CMS/28312/4935/26453.aspx, 18 Apr. 2005.
(4) Hoffman, Ruth , MPH. Candlelighters: Childhood Cancer Foundation. 1 Sep. 2006. 12 July 2009 http://www.candlelighters.org/ .