Gretchen Glass finds the courage to care on cancer journey

KidQuest Founder Joyous and Grateful in return to local afterschool program

Fred McCormick
The Valley Echo
April 14, 2026

Gretchen Glass, founder of KidQuest in Black Mountain, prepares activities for local children, following her return from cancer treatment in late March. Photo by Fred McCormick

Gretchen Glass was living a busy and joyful life, last summer, when results from a routine medical examination briefly stunned the energetic wife, mother of two children and local business owner. Just hours after receiving a diagnosis of stage 1 invasive lobular cancer, on the first day of the school year, she found herself momentarily distracted by the 60 children who attend her afterschool program every afternoon. 

The months ahead were daunting, but as she returned to KidQuest, March 24, Glass was humbled by the support she received throughout her journey, and eager to return to the work and Swannanoa Valley children she loves.

“I had all the feelings. I was super excited talking to the (physician assistant) and she told me I was good to go and to get out there and do my thing,” said Glass, who launched her afterschool and summer program with co-founder Taina Lopez in 2022. “I came in, hugged the kids, and we got to do some fun projects together. The grass was a little greener, the sky was a little bluer, the smiles were a little bigger and I was where I was supposed to be, again.”

Among the oldest from a “big family,” Glass has been caring for young children for as long as she can remember.

“I have around 50 first cousins, and we’re all close, so from the time I could hold one, I had a kid on my hip,” she said. “My first job, when I was 17, was at an afterschool program, then I went to school to be an art teacher.”

Her background includes a career in the mental health field, which led her to pursue a psychology degree, but Glass was intrigued by the prospect of working in an environment that offers consistent social support for young people with a range of needs. The impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the social development of kids reinforced her professional experiences and observations.

“I thought about how to give kids the proper social support, and a program that focuses on that, whether they are neurotypical or neurodivergent,” she said. “I had this idea for KidQuest, and before I knew it, I had families coming to me through foster programs who needed therapeutic support, families with children on the (Autism Spectrum Disorder) spectrum who were looking for a program that could support them and others. We’ve been very open to working with kids that need extra support.”

KidQuest, which transports students from W.D. Williams Elementary and Black Mountain Montessori Schools and receives others from Black Mountain Primary and Elementary Schools, has doubled its capacity since its launch. The afterschool program, staffed with three teachers, accommodates approximately 60 children, attending part- and full-time, while the summer session includes up to 16 children, four youth staff and two teachers. Curriculum emphasizes Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM).

A new preschool—Morning Explorers—introduced by KidQuest staff member Erin Tavernitti, was launched in response to growing demand for local childcare services.

“That became like a little sister of KidQuest, and Erin has been really successful with the preschool,” Glass said. “We’ve grown fast. Everything went from being what I originally thought might be like a side gig to a full-time job.”

Its presence in the center of downtown Black Mountain allowed KidQuest to develop partnerships within the community, according to Glass, who struggled with the prospect of sharing the personal details of her cancer diagnosis last fall.

“I had a quick huddle with my girls on staff that first day of school, when I told them, ‘I have cancer, it sucks,’” she said. “I told my sons, who are in the fifth and sixth grade, and I never told them not to tell anyone. So, the next Tuesday, I got a phone call from a parent telling me their child came home crying.”

Glass was taken aback by the conclusion she reached in that moment.

“Oh, my gosh, I have to tell everybody,” she said. “That wasn’t something that had even occurred to me, since I didn’t want to scare the kids, but now I had to get in front of it.”

KidQuest students and staff celebrate the return of founder, director and teacher Gretchen Glass. Photo by Fred McCormick

An email to parents outlined the circumstances and assured the KidQuest community that “everything would be OK,” according to Glass. The full scope of what to expect would become known in the coming weeks, she added.

“At that point, I just had an inconclusive mammogram, a suspicious ultrasound and a biopsy, none of which can tell the full extent of anything,” she said. “But, the pathology and the type of tumor was hopeful, because it was non-aggressive. I just wanted people to know things could be much worse.”

Glass scheduled her first surgery after Halloween, as she began to prepare for being away from her business, staff and children in her care for an extended period of time.

“I hired two amazing women, who are also KidQuest parents, and they jumped in to help out. I got my girls that were already working everything they would need, and just planned ahead for the next couple of semesters,” said the program director and teacher. “It was the first time I’ve ever been away.”

As she stepped away to focus on treatment, Glass was overwhelmed by the support she received from the community.

“I had no idea what a beautiful community we had at KidQuest,” she said. “I saw how Black Mountain came together during Helene when we were all hit with adversity at the same time, but I never really expected to feel that when it was just me and my family in need.”

Friends and neighbors hosted sleepovers for her sons while Glass recovered from a successful surgery to remove the tumor.

“We were so supported,” she said. “You can’t use your arms at all, so we had people helping us with rides to soccer games, because my husband needed to be there to take of me. There were meal trains and everything. The parents and the people at the church were so much more amazing than I could have expected.”

The experience was “incredibly humbling” for Glass.

“I’m not a person who asks for help very often, so to actually say I can’t do some things, even if it’s temporary, is not something I’ve had to do,” she said. “I loved these people, and I knew they cared for me, but it was a whole different level when I realized how much they love my family.”

Glass came back to work briefly last January, before her follow-up surgery six weeks later.

“The second surgery was a breeze, by comparison, and I was only out for a month,” she said. “I was still restricted, but my recovery was less painful and more comfortable.”

The program director is eager to focus on the immediate needs of KidQuest.

“Our playground was damaged by a fallen tree branch while I was out, so right now we want to work with the surrounding community to get this replaced, quickly, because the whole community uses it, thanks to the kindness of the church,” Glass said. “One of our upcoming projects will involve raising funds. We don’t need the fanciest playground in the world, but we need something safe and suitable for the space.”

While her journey from the diagnosis to the successful removal of the cancer was arduous, Glass was reminded of the things that make her longtime home town special.

“Black Mountain and Swannanoa, this entire community, is truly amazing. I couldn’t imagine being anywhere else,” she said. “We had the conversation with multiple people during Helene, essentially if you’re going to go through hell, at least go through it with good people around you. I’ve never lived anywhere that so many were so genuinely kind, and I was fortunate to find those people. I couldn’t imagine having gone through this anywhere else.”