The 83rd Kiwanis Club Pancake Day Saturday at the Poplar Bluff Junior High School netted about $4,000 to benefit the all-inclusive playground at Bacon Park.
Pancake Project Chairman Matthew Sparks gave a conservative estimate of 500 people being served during the morning event.
Kiwanis member Lacey McClintock described the crowd as “good and steady” with the rain holding off until the event was about over.
Volunteers of all ages helped this year. Among them was 6-year-old Julissa Pearson, who was helping her mother Kiwanian Candice Pearson for her third year on the cleanup crew.
Skyler McClintock, 16, a sophomore at Poplar Bluff High School, ventured out with his mother Lacey. This was his first year to help and he manned a spot on the grill flipping the main course.
Skyler volunteered when his mother “asked.” He likes to do “anything to keep busy.”
One of Sparks’ friends, Stacy Roach, showed up to help, but had to convince Kiwanian Mike Crumley she was serious. Roach smiled as she explained “I do at least one volunteer thing a year.”
As Roach and Crumley were cleaning the grill, Crumley said, “we love volunteers.”
McClintock said, “we always are looking for like-minded people to sign up for Kiwanis.”
Sparks was quick to praise the sponsors.
“We owe a big part of the success to our sponsors,” said Sparks, who called the ADA playground as a “really good project. The nearest one is in the Cape Girardeau community.”
One of the sponsors, Larry Leeds of Larry Leeds Quality Automotive, Inc. said, “we are a sponsor every year and we always come.”
Leeds is one of more than 30 sponsors who back the Kiwanis in the fundraising event.
Other sponsors were Commerce Bank, Poplar Bluff Realty, Inc., Subway, First Midwest Bank, Rowland Family Dentistry Amy Rowland D.D.S., Southern Bank, Prairie Farms, Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center, Whitworth’s Gift Chest Jewelers, Buffington Brothers Heating & Cooling, Sterling Bank, P.B. Outdoor Power Equipment, Ozark Federal Credit Union, Edward Jones Brian Taylor, Butler County Recorder Debby Lundstrom, Lenard Wagganer Construction, Roberts Termite & Pest Management, Fox Media Network, Holiday Inn, Heritage Title Company, Meme’s Sugar Rush Candy Store, Rob’s Flowers, The Bank of Missouri, Duncan & Thomas LLC Attorneys at Law, The Home Depot, Kennedy, Kennedy, Robbins & Yarbro, LC, Merritt Plumbing, Morgan’s Small Engine Repair, Dairel L. Denton, Jr. & Associates, CPA, P.C., Cotrell Funeral Service and Crematory, First Missouri State Bank, Poplar Bluff Monument Works LLC and Kent Cauthen agent Shelter Insurance.
The sponsors and diners are assisting the local and international Kiwanis in serving the children of the world as well as caring area children’s needs.
In addition to the ADA-accessible playground equipment project, Poplar Bluff Kiwanis, Inc., along with supporters, maintains Kiwanis Bacon Park, which is open to the public year-round. The majority of the annual spending goes toward Bacon Park, in ways the public may not notice right away, such as replacing supports to pavilions, new roofs, new bridges, refill gravel in the parking area (and) repair of existing equipment, benches and signage, in addition to maintaining, repairing and cleaning this park for the children of the community.
In addition to traditional play equipment, the park has a Frisbee course, walking trail, basketball court, football field, softball field, pavilions and grills. The community can reserve space to have birthday parties or events with no cost other than a refundable deposit for the bathroom key.
The local club also donates to the United Gospel Rescue Mission, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Poplar Bluff Boys and Girls Club, Hugh O’Brien Youth Leadership scholarship, Boy Scouts, I’m a Citizen Too, Project Graduation, and Key Clubs in Doniphan and Poplar Bluff.