HUNTINGDON, Pa.- It would come as no surprise for me to tell you that coaches are competitive creatures. It would also come as no surprise to know that competition produces winners.
What if I told you that competition between two coaches of very different sports was the catalyst for an entire community's ability to feel like champions?
The competition was between Scott McKenzie, the Associate Athletic Director and former women's soccer coach, and Jeremy Uhrich, husband of Juniata's Senior Women's Administrator and women's basketball coach and himself a teacher and high school basketball coach at Huntingdon Area High School. The arena was the kitchen, and the competition was to see who could make the best homemade chocolate chip cookie. Both Scott and Jeremy were adjusting to "work from home" status due to the COVID-9 pandemic and felt a need to exercise their competitive selves, and the cookie "bake-off" seemed like a good idea.
What happened next was pure magic.
Looking for the proper and impartial judge to declare a winner, the two former student-athletes decided to let the mayor of Huntingdon decide a winner. Then the combined four dozen cookies would be given to the local police department as a thank you for being front-line heroes of in the community. The local newspaper (The Daily News), as well as the local CBS affiliate, took notice and ran the story.
Since that first and humble batch of cookies was made and enjoyed, over 140 residents of Huntingdon County have joined their Facebook group (Cookies for Caregivers), and over 40 local bakers have signed up to bake four dozen cookies each week for other front-line workers in the county. To date, over 70 dozen cookies have been baked and delivered to heroes that work at the local hospital and medical clinics, ambulance services, fire departments, doctor's offices, the local state prison, the local food bank, and many other local businesses.
Mckenzie and Uhrich will be delivering cookies to all businesses that have remained open within their community as a "thank you" for keeping vital services available and operating.
"We could only hope that this would develop into what it's become," says McKenzie. "This is what living in a small community is all about," remarked Uhrich, adding, "it's about people stepping up for their neighbor." "The outpouring of support has been inspiring but not surprising," adds McKenzie.
There is a schedule of bakers committed to baking scrumptious treats for the foreseeable future. There are plenty of folks to thank, and these two coaches won't stop until all of their "front-line heroes" know how much they are appreciated.
This week they are going to deliver over 80 dozen cookies to first responders, including those who helped fight the Blair House fire that occurred two nights ago, the Salvation Army, the Food Bank, and the local churches who are assisting those who are impacted by the fire.
