Our Co-Founder
Gretchen and Larry Witt founded Cookies for Kids’ Cancer in 2008, inspired by their son Liam’s battle with stage IV cancer. While Liam was still fighting, they began raising awareness and support for other kids facing pediatric cancer, baking tens of thousands of cookies along the way. Tragically, Liam lost his courageous four-year fight on January 24, 2011, at the age of six. What started as a way to help other children while Liam was alive became a meaningful way to honor his life after his passing. Though devastated by their loss, the Witts remain determined to continue the fight against pediatric cancer.
About Gretchen Holt Witt
For over 20 years, Gretchen made her professional home in public relations working in New York City, with a broad range of household brands advising them on how to effectively communicate their message. But in 2007, her life took on a new challenge when her 2½-year-old son Liam was diagnosed with pediatric cancer, the number one disease killer of children in the United States. Gretchen has been serving as the Executive Director of Cookies for Kids’ Cancer since 2020.
When Liam was cancer free, his indomitable spirit inspired her to raise money for a promising new treatment in need of funding. Committed to doing all she could to help make the treatment become a reality, Gretchen hatched a plan to bake and sell 96,000 cookies with a larger-than-life holiday bake-a-thon. Against all odds of what should be possible, every cookie sold in a matter of days, and more than $420,000 was raised. It was clear that inviting people to be Good Cookies was a sweet way to get people involved in the bitter topic of pediatric cancer. In September 2008, Cookies for Kids’ Cancer launched as a year-round, national organization.
As the organization grows, Gretchen’s story of love and determination to impact change inspires people across the country. Though her son Liam eventually lost his courageous four-year battle with cancer, his life and legacy continue to inspire the work of Cookies for Kids’ Cancer. Gretchen has been interviewed on The Today Show and profiled in The Wall Street Journal, as well as CNN, Good Morning America, Oprah Magazine, and The Huffington Post; recognized as one of Woman’s Day magazine’s 50 “Women Who Are Changing the World”; and named the National Honoree in L’Oreal’s Women of Worth awards, along with several other national honors. She also added author to her list of accomplishments with the release of the Cookies for Kids’ Cancer Best Bake Sale Cookbook, which became a bestseller on Amazon, and All the Good Cookies Cookbook, published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
She is described as inspirational, offering a message of “strength and determination that is perfect for so many people.”
Gretchen has delivered key note speeches to major corporations and commencement addresses. She accepts speaking engagements, with 100% of her speaker’s fees going directly to Cookies for Kids’ Cancer.