November 4th, 2010
by Carol GuestSponsor: Georgia
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Cookie Cafe was wonderful yesterday. Students just coming back from sea came in smiling and said how good it was to be back at Cookie Cafe. Some students are leaving and wanted one last homebaked cookie before sailing. Some students were smiling over their grades, while others needed encouragement because they had an Academic Board meeting the next day. I just stood there, when there was a free moment, and watched the students smiling and talking with each other. Tables set up for 4 were surrounded with 8 chairs so they could all spend time with friends just back from sea or to catch up on the news. The music was playing and the atmosphere was perfect: exactly why we keep Cookie Cafe going and what makes it worthwhile.
Cookies, cookies, and more cookies are the obvious message from parents showing their love. There is nothing subtle in that message, it's very loud and clear. The students always want to know where the cookies came from. They always tell us how good they are. This week it was Georgia and the cookies were delicious.
To update you on the progress in another area, I will fill you in on the money situation. As you know the Chapel fund was taking care of all the supplies for Cookie Cafe until the beginning of this year. Without that funding, we had to think of a creative way to take care of the need. Cookie Cafe is now an incorporated entity, and has set up a Paypal fund for parents to donate. This year we've already had 7 Cookie Cafes. There has been no organization, except a donation from USSA, that has sent money, so the parents are the ones who are carrying this financial load. Each Wednesday, my husband and I head to BJ's (like Costco) and buy 20-24 gallons of milk, 1 quart of half and half, 4 pounds of butter, bags of ice to keep the milk cool in large coolers overnight, 2 dozen eggs, 550 paper hotcups, and 550 eight-inch plates. We also pick up, if we have run out at Land Hall: napkins, cleaning supplies, aluminum pans, Saran wrap, paper towels, Crystal Light lemonade and iced tea, flour, sugar, chocolate chips, oil, spices, and anything else needed for baking. I pay for all this with a Cookie Cafe credit card then send the receipts to be validated for the Corporation. The books are open, and if anyone wants to see what has come in or is bought please ask and we will be happy to send you records. Recently there was a question whether there is accountability. Please feel free to check anything, it's completely open. This is a very low-budget operation and simply run. When we collect enough money for the whole year (based on last year's $5000 expenses), then any money left over will be held over for next year. We are hoping to also buy Cookie Cafe's own coffee pot and hot water pot so we don't have to keep borrowing them. It disappoints me that we could run into a bump like this where parents wonder if what they heard was true. It is not. In fact, come shop with me each week and you can see for yourself where the money goes. Everything is an open book.
This week we had a smaller group of 340. Last year we would have called that a big group!! Each year our high number is our low number for the next year. Students are just getting settled in, some getting supplies, and others not back from sea yet. It was, however, a constant flow of students, all smiling and enjoying themselves.
The group that I wanted to zero in on yesterday were the students who have a possibility of being disenrolled. College students often look at today and tomorrow, but don't look at long-term ramifications. I like to say to them that they need to figure out the worst thing that can happen, which would be disenrollment. Then I have them think about what they would do if they were disenrolled. What are their options, what is their future, what will they do? With this process, I like to see how their looks of disheartenment change to true enlightenment as they realize that it's not the end of the world, there are other options. I just let them talk and figure it out for themselves. Then I tell them that we all hope it doesn't come to the worst-case scenerio, but if it does, they have ALREADY faced it and figured out what they can do. It helps to give them hope, to look more at the long-term then just the Academic Board meeting. It gives them a way of facing life for their future in other situations. We are just parents, but we have years of living and learning. What we love too, is that other parents are there as volunteers, and we all help the students by listening, encouraging, guiding and counseling. We are just doing what you parents would be doing if you were here, or if your Midshipman was home visiting.
Thanks, Georgia parents, for your dedication and sacrifice and your great cookies. Thanks, students, for giving us all great joy. Thanks, volunteers, who work hard to make Cookie Cafe go so smoothly.