In 2007 at the age of two, Liam Witt, the son of longtime OXOnians Gretchen and Larry Witt, was diagnosed with Stage IV cancer. OXOnians regard each other as family, and news of Liam’s diagnosis hit us all hard. 

Childhood cancer is the leading cause of death in children in the United States. The reason, sadly, is simple: lack of funding for new, improved, and less toxic therapies for cancers specific to children. Even though pediatric cancer claims the lives of more children annually than any other disease, it receives less than four percent of the National Cancer Institute’s budget. 

Motivated to help, Gretchen and Larry had the “crazy” idea to host a larger-than-life cookie sale, gathering more than 250 volunteers (many of them fellow OXOnians) to sell 96,000 cookies — and in just a few weeks they managed to raise more than $400,000 to fund a promising new treatment. Nine months later, they launched Cookies for Kids’ Cancer as a national non-profit organization inspiring grassroots bake sales to help fund research on pediatric cancer. Since then, Cookies has granted more than $16 million, funding 100 grants for research projects, including 23 that are now available treatments. 

In 2011, Liam lost his battle with cancer, and it profoundly impacted everyone at OXO. For years, Liam was a fixture in our office. He would visit frequently, riding around on his orange scooter, providing unsolicited (but always helpful) product feedback and sharing his vivacious energy. From a very young age he had a clear vision of what he wanted to do when he grew up: become a chef and run OXO. We have no doubt he would have achieved both of his goals.

What is OXO’s commitment to CFKC?

Through the years, OXOnians have devoted their personal time, energy, and money to support Cookies, but after losing Liam, the company wanted to play a larger role. In 2011, OXO formalized its partnership with Cookies for Kids Cancer, pledging to donate up to $100,000* per year and plan campaigns to encourage others to join the fight against pediatric cancer. Since then, we’ve helped inspire other “good cookies” to raise over $2.5 million and host more than 3,000 events in over 700 cities globally. 

How to get involved with OXO + Cookies for Kids’ Cancer

This year, there are two ways to partner with us in the fight against pediatric cancer via The Cookie Chain, a fundraising campaign designed for these times: 

#1 Social Media Sharing

1. Bake cookies

Choose your favorite cookie recipe or get inspired by one of ours:

• Marc Murphy’s S’mores Cookies
• Kristen Tomlan’s Salted Candy Blondie Bars
• Dorie Greenspan’s Visiting Cake Bars
• Dan Kluger’s Salted Chocolate Chip Cookies

2. Share on social

Snap a pic, use #OXOGoodCookies and tag @oxo and @Cookies4kids.

3. We donate $1 per cookie

We’ll give $1 for each cookie in every post—up to $100,000.

#2 Real-Life Sharing with The Cookie Chain

1. Register on The Cookie Chain website

Register for a $5 cookie sharing kit or to donate directly.

2. Get your Cookie Chain sharing kit and start baking

You’ll get stickers, postcards and storage bags for safe, socially distant sharing.

3. Share your cookies with loved ones

OXO will match every donation via The Cookie Chain up to $100,000

Need help getting started in the kitchen? Check out our list of essential tools every home baker needs.

 

*We will match/donate up to our annual $100k commitment.