The power of cookies

You may or may not know that I'm involved with a charity called Cookies for Kids Cancer, which raises funds for pediatric cancer research. I was brought there through an adorable little 6 year-old kid named Liam Witt, who's been a relentless fighter since he was diagnosed with neuroblastoma in 2007. His family had to endure incredible hardship since then, and there are hundreds of stories like his, and this only makes me more 1-grateful about my kid(s) health, and 2-dedicated to give back for this luck we've had and should not take for granted. The principle behind Cookies is simple: you hold bake sales, raise awareness, and help fund further treatments in a field where options are gravely lacking, due to the low number of patients.

I still plan to do a fundraiser this fall for the third time, yes even while hugely pregnant. I really want to benefit from all my wonderful co-workers' support with this -this will kind of be my swan song before going away on mat leave.

Recently, the charity coordinator informed me that they had concluded a publishing deal for a book about the organization: part inspiration, part recipes, part "how-to" for bake sales... They will also feature some people involved in the organization, and so it's with great honors that I've accepted to be a part of it and write a little bit about my experience. The book will be out in the fall of 2011, and I hope will create a certain buzz in the media and such around the cause (Joan Cusack is the official spokeswoman, by the way). $1 million has been raised overall in less than two years, and this proves that when you put your heart into something, big things can happen!