The Perfect Cookie Cafe - by Mom Guest 1/7/10

Thursday morning arrives early for us as we get up at 5am to finish packing the car, shower and exercise. On the road at 7am we arrive at 8am in time to get Land Hall ready for the big day.

Cookie Cafe was just perfect. We started 8am to set up the tables, bring out the baking equipment, make up the lemonade, coffee, and hot water. At 8:30am the Ellen and Larry arrived. They have been coming regularly and are hard workers and such an asset. Both of them are retired New York City police officers and have a Plebe son at the Academy. Ellen started baking and Larry set up the tables, chairs and tablecloths. At 8:45am Betsy Carbone, a registered nurse, and mother of another Plebe son comes in to help us unwrap the boxes of cookies. We catch up on the week's news and have lots of laughs while we work. At 10am Larry takes our orders for coffee, and we have a little break. By 11:30 we have at least 30-35 aluminum bins of cookies unwrapped, labeled and covered - all ready for the Midshipmen.

Gene and I leave to pick up the lunch for the Band of Sisters girls at Delano. We drive to the chapel, and spend 1/2 hour rushing to put out the food and beverage and set up all the chairs we can find in the lower chapel lounge. The girls, half the girls on campus, come streaming in at noon. I love to hear them come in - all female voices, all talking and laughing together. Gene leaves and goes back to Land Hall to finish up, wait for students and start the relaxing music playing.

At 1pm another steady helper arrives, Johanna Essex, the wife of a 1954 graduate. The students start streaming into Land Hall to enjoy some relaxing time talking and visiting. This week a whole group of seniors came in together and Gene met an unusual student amongst them!!! One who had never been to Cookie Cafe!!!!! I didn't think there was any student left who had never been to Cookie Cafe. He looked surprised and amazed. His friend who brought him said "See, I told you!" He will be back, they always are.

There was a steady stream of students from 1pm to 5:30pm. There are many comments that range from "thanks," and "you have no idea how important Cookie Cafe is," to "I waited all week for Thursday," and "it's so nice for parents to care." The Mids always look at the tent cards to see who made the cookies and if they know their son or daughter.

The Assistant Commandant dropped by to get some cookies (yes the administration are regulars!). He looked around so surprised at how many students were there. I said to him, "Do you know what Cookie Cafe is doing for the Academy? It's building morale." He looked around at the obviously wonderful atmosphere and had to agree with me.

This week, Anny and Gregg Swanson flew in from Chicago to help with Cookie Cafe and just look at first-hand how the cookies are being received. She really enjoyed herself and realized this is something the parents are doing that is such an asset on campus. The parents in Anny's association have gone off the chart with their unending support and we are so thankful!

We cleaned up from 5:30-6pm, packed our car and drove home very tired but smiling. We had 337 students come. We had the perfect number of cookies, and gallons of milk, and everyone was happy. It is worthwhile, and it's fun to be part of it.

The 2009 Christmas Party - by Mom Guest
Christmas Party Photos

December 10th was a wonderful time! The Christmas music was playing, hot mulled cider in the crockpots brought a wonderful aroma to Land Hall, the smiles and laughter of Midshipmen as they spent hours visiting with each other, and the wonderful cookies from home.

Let me share what I think exemplifies Cookie Cafe in a nut shell. A Midshipman rushed in and started searching vigorously through the cookies. I asked, "Can I help you?" "I need to find my Mom's cookies," he answered as he went quickly through the containers looking at all the tent cards for his Mom's name. Then he found THE COOKIES and a huge smile broke out on his face. "There they are!!!" He grabbed a plate and started piling and piling his Mom's cookies on his plate with great contentment. You see, his Mom had baked LOVE, wrapped that LOVE so carefully so it would arrive in good shape, then mailed LOVE, and her son got the message. He found HIS MOM'S LOVE in the cookies she had sent. The Midshipmen get the message loud and clear!!!

We had a special day with Pam Bianco, a mother from Florida, who worked hard to make it special once again like she did last year. She brought gingerbread kits for the students to decorate. She found a choir to come from a local high school, who treated us to great singing. She also brought beautiful porcelain snowflake ornaments and colorful Sharpie pens. The Midshipmen spent hours decorating them for girlfriends, mothers and sisters, and for their own rooms. The students singing Christmas songs sounded great as the Midshipmen sang along with the words printed out to many of the familiar holiday songs.

This season, I want to send out a very special thanks to many people, who make Cookie Cafe what it is. There are faithful parents who show up early in the day to help us unpack the cookies, set up tables, clean, and are there for any needs we have. Muffi Grinnell for her tireless organizing, answering questions, looking after the website, and taking care of any cracks in planning that come along. I want to thank each one of you Moms, Dads, Grandmothers, Sisters and Brothers, Aunts and Uncles, and Friends, who work so hard and long sending your favorite cookies from home to the students. Also, I want to thank the students for the sheer joy they have given us with their smiles, laughter, hugs, contented looks, and relaxed atmosphere they create every Thursday afternoon. We see the students all the time at their most challenging moments, and still, Kings Point has some of the very finest men and women in the Nation. They are polite, courteous, patient, well-mannered, articulate, and just plain wonderful. Their personalities and the way they look at life are so much fun. I love them all and I am very proud of them. I want to commend all the parents who have done such a wonderful job in raising them. You should pat yourselves on the back!

Our numbers have ranged this year from 275 to 475 and we had almost 400 attend the Christmas Cookie Cafe. So, keep the cookies, brownies, and bars coming. They are eaten up, and they are an encouragement to the Midshipmen. The message of love in every cookie is received and welcomed. These students look forward to Cookie Cafe, and the morale is greatly improved through your loving efforts.

- Thanks, from MOM Guest.

October 22nd 2009 - by Mom Guest

We had an unbelieveable amount of cookies from the Mid-Atlantic Association - THANK YOU! Cookie Cafe was packed with 434 smiling, relaxed students coming in all afternoon. It was the break they needed just before facing finals, which some have already started. The cookies were wonderful, with many students going back for seconds. Just so you get the picture, these are not students who are trying to be polite by taking one or two cookies, these students totally fill up their plates, and enjoy every minute of emptying the plate (female and male!).

I guess we have created something very special and unique. Yesterday, I was told that West Point is sending down a group to observe Cookie Cafe, and see if they can replicate it at their Academy. There was talk that I could start a Cookie Cafe at West Point, as we live very close by, but our hearts are with the Kings Pointers.

Parents - ALL of us together, have created something very unique and special. There is a "three legged stool" of Muffi coordinating sponsors, you parents and friends baking and sending the cookies, and me doing the work at the Academy. We have created a smooth, efficient, wonderful Cookie Cafe for the Midshipmen. You should pat yourselves on the back. Public businesses ought to take note at how smoothly, efficiently and cost-effective we run our Cookie Cafe "company!"

Yesterday USAA Bank was in the front of Land Hall during Cookie Cafe, available to talk to the students about loans. The representatives are absolutely amazed at the event and took lots of pictures of what was going on inside. They told me that they go to all the academies and top schools in the nation, and no one has what Kings Point has: a Cookie Cafe to collectively reach out in love to the students. They think it's the greatest thing.

I am very appreciative of the parents who have started coming early in the morning to Land Hall to help unpack all the boxes of cookies. We bring boxes from our freezer at home, and we fill the freezer we have at Land Hall. It takes Gene and me plus the volunteer parents about 3 hours to get the cookies out in containers for presentation. I always smile when I see how well the cookies travel. Thank you so much, all you bakers, for following the instructions in the website on how to pack the cookies. When I open a bag that is just crumbs, I feel so badly for the students, and for the parent who worked so hard to bake the cookies. That is seldom happening anymore and it's wonderful. We have slowly been working out the problems in this whole system. Thanks for your cooperation.

Just a quick comment on another area. In the middle of Cookie Cafe, the Commandant walked in to get his cookies. He announced to me that Band of Sisters has been reinstated at lunch hour. For those of you who don't know, my husband and I are involved in many other areas at Kings Point. One of them is my concern for the women on campus, which developed into a group called "Band of Sisters." Over half the women attend and it is making a much-needed difference. It was cancelled recently and a lot of effort went into getting it started again. So, I just want you all to know that Band of Sisters is again functioning for the girls. Hearing the good news was a VERY special "cookie" for me at Cookie Cafe.

October 15th, 2009 Cookie Cafe - by Muffi Grinnell Photos

After working with Carol Guest for about 2 years on the side of coordinating Cookie Cafe sponsors, I FINALLY had the great fortune to visit and see it all for myself! Three a.m. came early to catch a 5:45 flight out of Richmond, VA, but I made it to NY by 7a.m. so Carol and Gene could swing by the airport and pick me up on their way to start their day at Kings Point. Talk about prepared! They were waiting for me right there at baggage claim with a fresh bagel and orange juice (and was I ready for it!). We arrived at Land Hall about 7:35, and began to open the many boxes of cookies that arrived for the big day. What was especially nice about being on the "this end" of the process was seeing how the cookies all arrived in such good shape because they were all packed so carefully. I got such a big kick out the notes that many of the LAKE MICHIGAN parents included to Carol. It's so wonderfully personal. Beautiful little messages and notes of cheer- for the Cafe Helpers and Mids alike.

In short order, Land Hall was transformed: bright red tablecloths were spread all around, and coffee, lemonade, hot chocolate, tea and milk were layed across the back wall. It was a cold and rainy day outside, but the cheer inside was warming us all as we bustled about to open the Cafe. As many times as Carol has emailed me heart-warming accounts of the day, it couldn't quite compare to actually being there. The Mids started streaming in right at 1p.m., shaking the rain off their jackets and rubbing their cold hands together for warmth (or was it in expectation of that plateful of goodies!).

Each student scanned the room for Mom Guest, and greeted her with a big smile and a hug. Ahhhhh...the relaxing began. Friendly, engaging chats hovered over the tables filled with happy students as they delightedly ate things like peanut butter monster eyeballs (?), delicious breads and freshly baked gooey cookies.

The kitchen was humming with activity as Cafe Helpers and Mids whipped up batches of fresh cookie dough and turned out pan after pan of the specialty of the day. One thing I noticed, although every student was looking wondrously over the vast array of cookies, I could tell with absolute certainly which students were Plebes. Their faces literally lit up with delirious glee as they heaped their plates with a gorgeous assortment of memories of home. It's a tremendous amount of work - pulling off a successful Cookie Cafe, but to see the happiness that it brings week after week, makes you want to roll up your sleeves, turn on the oven, and dive into the flour bag for another round. These kids are just the best!

Cindy Price from Northern New England Parents Association - May 7th, 2009

My stepfather Steve, my daughter Kate, and my son’s girlfriend Angie accompanied me on the trip down Thursday morning. Traffic wasn’t too bad, considering it is the beginning of summer road repair season. We arrived at 11:15, and after getting by the guard at the gate, we proceeded to Land Hall to drop off the fifty dozen cookies we had in the car. Upon walking in, we were met by Cookie Mom herself, Carol Guest, and her wonderful husband, Gene. You cannot get away with a handshake with this woman – a hug is the proper way to greet her. She already had the tablecloths set up, and the coffee/tea bar ready to go. We all proceeded to set up the trays of cookies, all labeled with the type of cookie and the family that baked them. We ended up with over 120 dozen items!

While Carol went to lunch with the female Midshipmen ("Band of Sisters" - a wonderful support group), one of the Midshipmen came in and started whipping up a batch of toffee brickle cookies, since it is essential to have the smell of baking cookies to make mouths water.

-Cindy Price
Vice President, Northern New England Parents Association