Ice cream flavor at dairy raises money for children fighting cancer

    BEL AIR, Maryland (WBAL) -- There's no shortage of ice cream flavors at Broom's Bloom Dairy in Bel Air.

"We have an endless selection of flavors," said Kate Dallam, the dairy's owner.

The signature key lime pie flavor stands out, and it's more than just a tasty flavor. It's raising money for a cause.

"You get a nice, delicious, summer treat, but you are also making a big difference, which is something that is really important," said Zachary Gwiazda, 16, who is working his first summer job at the dairy.

Gwiazda also the chair of the all-youth board of advisors for "We Cancerve," a youth-led nonprofit organization started in 2012 to help bring happiness to children who are sick, experiencing homelessness, or other life struggles.

"We Cancerve is dedicated to helping children in sad situations and bringing swift solutions to them," Gwiazda said.

Financial support is one of the solutions. The organization started the We Cancerve Pediatric Assistance Fund at Sinai Hospital in 2016 to help cancer patients and their families with food, transportation, bills, medication assistance and more.

Grace Callwood, the founder of We Cancerve, knows firsthand how important that support is. She battled stage four non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma as a child.

"I had no idea what cancer was or what it meant until I had it," Callwood said. "I just knew that my life is changing completely. This fund is something that my family would have benefited from many times."

So far, the fund has brought in more than $25,000 to help families in need to cover 805 hospital cafeteria vouchers, 900 grocery gift cards, 300 prescription co-pays for medications, 245 ride-share services such as Lyft and Uber, 500 parking passes and household bills for 77 different families.

Leaders with We Cancerve and Broom's Bloom Dairy hope the key lime pie ice cream flavor raises even more money for the fund.

"I just really want it to help out and help the mission," Dallam said.

For a limited time, $1 from every key lime pie ice cream purchase at Broom's Bloom Dairy will go toward the fund. Lime is the ribbon color for non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma, and the flavor serves as a reminder of Callwood's journey and the cause behind the ice cream.

"I think it's a very exciting way to engage new people who may not have heard of We Cancerve and what We Cancerve is making possible for kids served by Sinai," said Geannine Darby, the director of major gifts and clinician engagement for LifeBridge Health.

People can support the ice cream fundraiser through Sept. 30. For more information on We Cancerve and the fundraiser, visit the following website.