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Community Corner

Westfield FestiFall Cookies for Kids Cancer Bake Sale Thanks the Community

Chocolate Chip cookies, brownies, sugar cookies, toffee bars, danish, cakes, and more.  You name it, they had it!

 

This year’s bake sell, held to benefit the national organization Cookies for Kids Cancer, headquartered in Califon, NJ, raised more than the $3,500.00 it set as this year’s fundraising goal.  The booth received donations that exceeded last year’s totals by more than $300.00 on the day of the event, totaling $2,336.00.

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“We have seen an abundance of local community support.  If you stop for a minute and listen, everyone is unfortunately affected in some way by cancer.” Marilyn Berney, the organizer of the event said.  “If we each do a little, we achieve so much.”  Berney’s experience is that many people want to help by more than writing a check.  Raising money for pediatric cancer research via bake sale really brings a community together.

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Dozens of dedicated volunteers baked, packaged goods, worked the booth and solicited the 19 sponsors of this year’s event.  Signage was donated by Staples Copy of Print of Westfield, baked goods of all kinds were donated by Bovella’s, Vacarro’s, Panera, Nordstrom Café, Carlo’s Bakery and Trader Joe’s.  Other sponsors included Wild Greens, Sole Shoes, Shop Rite, Liberty Realty of Hoboken, Faith Maricic of Coldwell Banker Westfield, MORe Staging and Design, A&C Landscaping, Girl Scouts of Mountainside, Kidville, Bai5 Drinks and Costco.  Paper cookies are available, now through Westfield’s Girls’ Night Out (Oct. 17, 2013 5-9pm), at Learning Express on Quimby Street, to enable everyone to continue to show support of the organization’s mission.  A bake sale will be held from 6-8pm on Oct. 17 at Learning Express to close this session of fundraising for CFKC by Berney.

 

The founder of the organization, Gretchen Holt-Witt, said in a recent Facebook post, “Larry and I met with Liam's surgeon last night...we need to raise more $$... there are things we need to get done and we can't wait for Washington for funding.”  It is the Witts’ dedication and fervor for this cause that inspires “Good Cookies” all over the country to hold bake sales and raise money to fund pediatric cancer research.

 

“On Sunday, I had the honor of meeting and working with so many people in the community who are dedicated to finding a cure to eradicate this disease….and we get to help in a very sweet way.  I could not have pulled this event off (again) without the help of my very supportive husband, Mike, and some very “good cookies”: Amy Radick (Mountainside), Kerri Proper (Mountainside), Sasha Proper (Mountainside, age 8), Aiden Donahue (Mountainside, age 13), Marcia Lemberg (Englewood), Carol Goggi (Mountainside), and Jackie Plant (Cranford).  Be sure that I, and Cookies for Kids Cancer, THANK EACH PERSON who donated time, cookies and money to this important cause from the bottom of our hearts.” 

 

The fact that the Westfield Mayor issued a proclamation recognizing the month of September as Pediatric Cancer Awareness Month is heartwarming.  Next year, Berney is hoping the the Mayor will stop by the booth, as plans are already underway for CFKC Bake Sale 2014 at the Westfield Fest-i-Fall.

 

For information on how you can become involved with Cookies For Kids Cancer, visit their website at www.cookiesforkidscancer.org, or to become involved in this event next year email mabesq@verizon.net.

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