Valparaiso Noon Kiwanis Club hosted its 70th Annual Pancake Day Breakfast on June 6 at the Porter County Expo Center.
The Valparaiso Noontime Kiwanis Pancake Breakfast is an event open to the community to raise money for the many charities and businesses that the club supports throughout the year. The event is sponsored by over forty local businesses. Lakeshore Bone &Joint Institute, Family of Matt Murphy, Family of Ed Soliday, Thorgren Tool and Molding Co., Perma-Green, Task Force Tips LLC, and more are just some of the community members and businesses supporting the breakfast event.
Typically, the club holds the Pancake Day Breakfast at Valparaiso High School on a Saturday in March, but the coronavirus pandemic changed the fundraiser’s plans.
“We usually serve about 2000 people, and we don’t know how many will show up today,” said Pancake Day Chairman and President of Bucher Technologies Tim Bucher.
This year’s event posed a challenge for Kiwanis Club members. How does one hold an annual event at a new location, on a new date, after a year off, and still raise good money for the community?
President of Valparaiso Noon Kiwanis Club and Owner of Bobinski Insurance Agency Steve Bobinski expressed the club's concerns about this year’s event. Advertising the event and making sure the change in location and date was made clear was integral to the event’s success.
“We are also honoring tickets from last year’s event that couldn’t be used during the pandemic,” said Bobinski. “We have no idea what to expect today.”
Despite challenges, Bobinski held onto hope and expressed his excitement.
“We are excited every year when we do this. We have about 185 members and probably 80% of them are here today,” said Bobinski. “Plus, we have to give a lot of credit to our junior members, the builders clubs, and key clubs. There’s maybe 40 plus kids from high school and middle school who are volunteering, doing face painting, making cotton candy, and clearing tables.”
Multiple local schools were represented at this event.
“Valparaiso, Boone Grove, Washington Township, and Morgan Township all have key clubs at the high school level and builders clubs at the middle school level. They are mini service clubs to get kids to think about serving the community,” said Bucher.
“We get a lot of help from the key clubs and builders clubs at local schools,” said Scott Carlson, Valparaiso Noon Kiwanis Club member and future chairman on Pancake Day.
Carlson also reflected on how the day went at the new location – the Porter County Expo Center.
“We are doing well on ticket sales. The location is fantastic. The layout is great. It is spacious inside, but compact where the parking is close to the entrance,” Carlson said. “Pancake Day is one of our biggest fundraisers.”
Maria Galka, member of Valparaiso Noon Kiwanis Club and director of development for VNA of Northwest Indiana, praised the Porter County Expo Center and its staff for all of the assistance in this year’s Pancake Day Breakfast.
“The new location is working out great so far; people are coming out in droves,” said Galka. “It has been very convenient working with the Porter County Expo Center. Lori Daly, director of Porter County Expo, really worked with us through the whole setup and planning process and came up with ideas we didn’t even think of.”
Galka commended Valparaiso Noon Kiwanis Club for all of the good it does throughout the Region.
“I love Kiwanians because they do so much for the community. The reason we can do that is because our community shows up to events like Pancake Day,” said Galka. “It is a give and take; the community supports us so we can support the community.”
Valparaiso Noon Kiwanis Club raises money throughout the year to send aid to many local businesses and to community members directly.
“We take the money we raise and put it back into the community,” said Bucher.
Bucher stressed the importance of fundraising events such as the Pancake Day Breakfast to raise money for local organizations in need. More specifically, Valparaiso Noon Kiwanis Club raises money for businesses like the local Boys & Girls Clubs, the YMCA, The Caring Place, The Amanda Project, Opportunity Enterprises, Special Olympics, Riley Hospital for Children, and more. The club also donates to scholarship funds for graduating high school seniors.
Out of all the good their fundraising creates, Bucher is most proud of the club’s ramp project.
“We build ramps for anyone who needs ADA-approved ramps to get into their house,” said Bucher. “We also do weekly delivery for Meals on Wheels.”
Coming up on August 7, the club is hosting their annual Corn Roast at Central Park Plaza in Valparaiso. Together, these two events will hopefully help Valparaiso Noon Kiwanis Club hit their fundraising goals for the year to give back to the community.
“Between Pancake Day and the Corn Roast, we should generate about $50,000 for the community,” said Bobinski.
To keep up on how to support Valparaiso Noon Kiwanis Club, its events, and the community, visit itsFacebook page at www.facebook.com/ValpoKiwanis.
