HARLINGEN — For Madelynn Hill, baking cookies is something that makes her smile, especially when they’re given to someone as a gift.
As healthcare workers continue working in the frontline during this pandemic, Madelynn felt motivated to show them the community’s appreciation of their efforts.
During the third week of July, Madelynn baked dozens of heart and scrub shaped cookies, as part of her business “Cookies for College.”
For every dozen of cookies purchased, she made a dozen to donate to Valley Baptist Medical Center healthcare workers.
As a result, Madelynn donated packages of homemade cookies to nearly 200 nurses, paramedics and EMTs.
For Madelynn, being able to give back to healthcare workers felt like a huge blessing.
“I wanted to let them know that while they may not always feel like people are realizing what they’re doing, the community does love them and they do realize how much of a blessing that each and every one is,” she said.
Madelynn said as the daughter of a Valley Baptist administrative worker, she understands how busy healthcare workers are, especially during these trying times.
“I felt like it was something so small to do because of what they’re doing for us, working so many hours,” she said. “Originally, I was just going to bake them all myself and then give them to them, but then I decided to give everyone the opportunity to help in the community as well.”
For Madelynn, her love for baking began when she was a young child.
“I’ve always enjoyed baking with my mom and grandma,” she said. “I have a cookbook from my grandma and it’s signed from 2009 so I was pretty young when I started baking.”
In August, Madelynn will enter her sophomore year of college at LeTourneau University in Longview.
She created Cookies for College last summer as a way to raise funds for college.
From chocolate chip to oatmeal raisin, Madelynn sells a variety of cookies during the summer at The Market at Wild August, which is held in Harlingen every Friday from 6 to 9 p.m. at 16802 Garrett Rd.
“My parents told me they had my first two years of tuition, but I knew it cost a lot of money so I wanted to do something to help them with it,” she explained. “I was able to pay for all of my books, my dorm supplies and support myself through my freshman year of college.”
According to Madelynn, the amount of support she’s received for her business has tripled since she began selling cookies.
“My goal this summer was to raise $3,000 to go back to my parents for my tuition and I’m already almost at $4,000 with time left before I go to school,” Madelynn said.
For Madelynn, it’s very humbling to see the amount of support she’s received from the community for her business.
“It’s a huge blessing to see people enjoy my cookies. I love the relationships I’ve made,” she said. “I love my regular customers and I love meeting new customers. This took off way more than I thought it would.”
