Local Artists Come Together for Momma's Night Out

This Friday is , an exciting event to raise money for pediatric cancer research—a cause that is surprisingly underfunded.  

Leave the kids with dad or a babysitter, grab a couple girlfriends and head to the upstairs of Bruno’s Barbeque for a fun evening of raffles, bake sales, and some fine holiday shopping opportunities. Local artists and vendors will be selling jewelry, leather bags, home decor, candles, hand-painted wine glasses and much more.

It’s holiday shopping you can feel good about too, since proceeds help local designers and artists as well as Cookies for Kids’ Cancer.

Cookies for Kid’s Cancer is a non-profit organization that was started by Gretchen Witt, a mother who lost her 6-year-old son Liam to brain cancer. It all started with a bake sale that raised $400,000 during Liam’s fight against cancer, and Witt continues her work to raise money for pediatric cancer research, through the concept of local bake sales. (Witt was recently nominated for L’Oreal’s 2011 Women of Worth awards.)

In May, Witt flew out from New York to attend a Momma’s Night Out bake sale in Santa Cruz, which is what inspired Scotts Valley designer Ruby Agresta of Ruby Roxanne Designs to throw Friday’s holiday gift sale event.

“I went to that event and it really touched me because I had just lost my best friend and her son to cancer,” Agresta said. “I said to myself, ‘I may not be able to bake but I can design.’” 

The event in May, which Agresta says touched a lot of Scotts Valley moms, raised over $30,000, and Agresta is enthusiastic about the upcoming Momma’s Night Out gift sale. Agresta is especially excited that the fundraiser will give so much back to pediatric cancer research. Cookies for Kids’ Cancer gives 100 percent of its proceeds to cancer research, whether you donate to the general fund or to specific cancers. They also have a team of cancer doctors as their board of advisors.

Agresta's medium is leather, and she created a line of leather cuffs called “Liam’s Heart of Gold” for the event. Profits from the cuffs, which are orange for Liam’s favorite color, will go to Cookies for Kids' Cancer.

“I’ve raised $1,000 for them and I just started it in September, at the start of Children’s cancer awareness month,” Agresta said. 

Agresta's cuffs found their way to James Durbin, who has donated an autographed James Durbin CD for the event. The CD will be raffled off with a leather stocking cut from the same leather used to make the cuff Durbin sported during his Santa Cruz visit. This is just one of the goodies you can expect to find up for raffle.

“People have been so generous. It’s really amazing. A lot of local stores have donated gift cards and items for the raffle,” Agresta said. 

Pacific Cookie Company has even joined in supporting the organization and is now selling their cookies through the Cookies for Kids’ Cancer website.

There will also be a booth set up for glamour shots with Santa, and much, much more. 

Mark your calendars for Friday, Dec. 2 from 4-8 p.m. at Bruno’s Barbeque, 230 Mt. Hermon Rd., Scotts Valley. For more information, call Ruby Roxanne at 831.325.3226.