On October 26, Loma Linda University Children's Hospital announced that the restaurant chain had raised more than $75,000 through its annual fundraising initiative, setting a new record for the campaign.
The donation was formally presented to hospital administrators and staff on October 20, following a month of fundraising during September, which is recognized as Childhood Cancer Awareness Month.
The achievement represents a significant increase over the previous year. According to the hospital, Corky's employees raised nearly $25,000 more than in 2025, an increase exceeding 48 percent, while operating with the same 13 participating restaurants.
The campaign had originally aimed for a 10 percent increase. Instead, employees and customers far surpassed that target.
The effort involved more than 60,000 cookies and 208 pounds of gold-colored sprinkles.
Behind those numbers were restaurant employees preparing baked goods, serving customers and explaining why the campaign mattered.
The fundraiser illustrates how ordinary business transactions can become opportunities for charitable giving without requiring customers to attend a formal fundraising event.
A family stopping for breakfast might add a cookie to its order. Someone picking up lunch might contribute a few dollars. Individually, those decisions seem modest. Together, they produced the campaign's largest donation to date.
The money will benefit children receiving treatment through Loma Linda University Children's Hospital's pediatric hematology and oncology services.
Scarlett Czarnecki, the hospital's director of patient care for the Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Service Line and Child Life Department, said the funds are expected to help revamp the Beads of Courage program.
The program recognizes the experiences of children undergoing serious medical treatment through symbolic beads representing different procedures, milestones and accomplishments.
For a young patient, cancer treatment may involve repeated hospital visits, blood tests, medications and procedures that can be frightening or uncomfortable.
A program that acknowledges those experiences can provide a tangible way for children and families to recognize what they have endured.
It does not replace medical treatment, but it can support the emotional needs of patients whose childhood experiences are being shaped by serious illness.
That distinction matters because pediatric cancer affects entire families.
Parents may rearrange work schedules, travel long distances for appointments and manage difficult decisions while trying to maintain stability for siblings.
Children undergoing treatment may miss school, birthdays and activities that their friends take for granted.
Support programs help address the human side of those experiences.
The relationship between Corky's Kitchen & Bakery and Loma Linda University Children's Hospital is not new.
Over the past 11 years, the restaurant chain has contributed more than $315,000 to the hospital.
That history makes this year's record especially meaningful. Rather than being a one-time contribution, the campaign represents a sustained partnership between a regional business and an institution caring for children throughout the Inland Empire.
The hospital's service area extends beyond Loma Linda, drawing families from communities across Southern California.
Consequently, money raised through neighborhood restaurant purchases can support patients whose homes may be many miles away.
The campaign also demonstrates the potential influence of local businesses on community well-being.
Restaurants are often viewed primarily as places to eat or gather with friends. Yet their relationships with customers and employees can make them effective partners in charitable efforts.
For Loma Linda, a city whose identity is closely connected to healthcare, these partnerships reinforce an important reality: hospitals do not serve their communities alone.
They depend on medical professionals, volunteers, donors, families and organizations willing to contribute resources.
The final total of more than $75,000 reflects the combined participation of many people who may never meet the children their contributions will help.
That may be the most remarkable part of the story.
A child receiving cancer treatment may never know who purchased a particular cookie. A customer may never see how a donation contributes to a supportive hospital program.
Yet those separate experiences become connected through an act of generosity.
In Loma Linda, the success of Cookies for Cancer offers a reminder that meaningful community support does not always begin with a large gift.
Sometimes it begins with something as simple as a cookie, purchased with the hope of making another person's difficult day a little easier.