'Tears Of Joy': Local Nonprofit Sends Family On Vacation

By Jeff Todd

DENVER (CBS4) - Holiday cookie sales are giving a few Colorado companies the trip of a lifetime.

"We bake cookies in New York with volunteers, and we sell them between now and Christmas. If we sell them, the kids go," said Frank Squeo, founder of Baking Memories 4 Kids.

Squeo started the nonprofit five years ago after his own battle with cancer.

It has helped Colorado families in the past, but it is now planning to send five families to Orlando for a week-long all-inclusive vacation.

"These are going to be happy tears of joy when you guys are down there, those memories are going to last," Squeo said.

On Tuesday, Squeo was able to give the four children from the Bannister family from El Paso County the good news about their upcoming trip. The announcement was made on the field at Sports Authority Field at Mile High.

"Frank called us up one day and said 'Congratulations! Pick a week. You're going to Florida,'" said Kari Bannister.

Kari's son Timothy was diagnosed with leukemia when he was 5 weeks old. He's battled health issues ever since.

"This family has two children that have gone through a lot. They have never ever been on a family vacation together," Squeo said.

"There's parts of this trip that are perfect for each of them," said Bannister. "And it's just amazing because we've never done anything like this. It's going to be really fun."

Baking Memories 4 Kids is helping five Colorado families this winter. In order to help more families, they're hoping more people will buy cookies to fund the trips.

Jeff Todd joined the CBS4 team in 2011 covering the Western Slope in the Mountain Newsroom. Since 2015 he's been working across the Front Range in the Denver Headquarters. Follow him on Twitter @CBS4Jeff.