in honor of prince liam the brave

In late January the world lost an incredible six and a half year old little boy to cancer. For four years Liam Witt (known to many as Prince Liam the Brave) fought a courageous and long battle with this devastating illness. He was fearless, brave, and throughout the entire ordeal he was full of love and happiness. During that time his parents fought an equally courageous battle: to raise awareness for pediatric cancers and at the same time raise funds to support more research towards this underfunded disease. Cookies for Kids' Cancer was born as a way to use cookies and bake sales to add up to make a big difference. To date Cookies for Kids' Cancer has raised over $2.5M to support research into treatments and cures for many types of pediatric cancers. Their goal at the moment is to raise $1M in memory of Liam.

This year on Valentine's Day his family and friends will gather in NYC to honor his memory and celebrate his life. His parents chose this day because it was a beloved holiday to Liam, who wanted nothing more than to love and be loved.  In their quest to raise money and honor Liam's memory on Valentine's Day, I reached out to the amazing Ashley Christensen - chef and owner of the incredible Poole's Diner in downtown Raleigh. She has these delicious warm chocolate chip cookies that occasionally make their way onto her menu boards. I've always thought of Liam and Cookies for Kids' Cancer when I have them, so I asked if she would be interested in putting them on the menu in his honor for Valentine's. Not only did she agree, she showed me what true generosity is all about. She decided she wanted to donate 100% of the profits from Poole's Valentine's Day dinner to Cookies for Kids' Cancer. Even as I type that, I am unable to find words that sufficiently express how humbled I am by her gesture... So amazing. She has donations for wine pairings from Juice Wine Purveyors, Bordeaux Fine and Rare, and Eliza Kraft Olander, and an amazing three course dinner planned. THEN she went further and challenged others to do the same. Fullsteam Brewery in Durham is donating 100% of their profits on Valentine's day, and Synergy Day Spa in Raleigh is donating 10% of their gift card sales from 02/10-02/14 to Cookies for Kids' Cancer. Ashley gets things done. 

To top off the night at Poole's, Ashley has lined up some local musicians to play an acoustic set from 11pm-2am. Kelly Crisp (from the Rosebuds) and Brad Cook (from Megafaun and GAYNGS) will play some new material as well as some love inspired covers. Ashley is also auctioning off some sure to be delicious homemade local pies by my friend Meredith Pittman of Pie + Mighty, and wine from the personal cellar of Eliza Kraft Olander. To add to the night I will be auctioning off prints of the Love Padlocks on the Passerelle Léopold-Sédar-Senghor in Paris. This is a footbridge over the Seine where Parisians and tourists come to leave padlocks with love notes written on them.

Two prints (matted and framed) will be offered.... with all profits going to Cookies for Kids' Cancer.

Translation: "We don't know when you read this but be sure we'll never forget you"...

This is sure to be a wonderful night, filled with love and driven by generosity to honor the memory one amazing little boy. Please call Poole's to make your reservations for dinner (three courses - $49++). Stop by Fullsteam Brewery for a beer or dinner. Buy your loved one a gift certificate from Synergy Day Spa. Or do all three! And if you don't live in Raleigh, please contact me for ways you can contribute to this night, and visit the Cookies for Kids' Cancer website to read about other ways you can raise money in your area.