GALVESTON, Texas - Save room for cookies in January. That's the plea of the Cancer Center staff at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, which is teaming up with Morrison's Dining Services to sell jumbo chocolate chip cookies in the cafeteria in January.

"Cookies for a Cure" is designed to heighten cancer awareness and detection while raising money for the UTMB Cancer Center. Morrison's will donate 50 percent of the proceeds from the cookie sale to the Cancer Center.

The cookies, available only during January, are made fresh and specially packaged for this event. They will sell for $1 each. The cookies will be on sale at the John Sealy Hospital cafeteria and other Morrison's facilities on campus.

The "Cookies for a Cure" will kick off from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday, Jan. 4, in the John Sealy cafeteria. Cancer Center staff will be on hand with giveaways and cancer awareness information.

"While we hope this event is a successful fundraiser for the Cancer Center, we are more keenly interested in the opportunity it presents to create awareness for cancer detection and prevention and also to spotlight cancer facilities right here at UTMB," said Sheila Lidstone, development specialist for the Cancer Center. "We are very grateful to have the interest and support of Morrison's Dining Services in partnering with us to make this event a success."

UTMB has played a major role nationally in cancer research for more than 30 years. In recent years, the UTMB Cancer Center has gained national recognition for its specialized treatment for gastrointestinal, liver, head and neck, breast, prostate and brain cancers.

"Whatever we can do, including selling ‘Cookies for a Cure' to spread the word about cancer prevention, detection, treatment and education here at UTMB, we will be pursuing," Lidstone said. "Our goal is to decrease each year the number of families who are devastated by this disease until one day no one has to fear cancer any longer."

For more information about "Cookies for a Cure," contact the UTMB Cancer Center at (409) 747-1904.