A Big Meal At A Big Event
Kevin Gray
All I could think at the Miami County Big Brothers Big Sisters first annual Pancake Feed on Saturday morning is how they got that title all wrong. It should’ve been the Miami County Big Brothers Big Sisters first annual pancake, eggs, sausage, bacon, toast, etc., All You Can Eat Feed thanks to the donations from primarily local businesses, which made it all possible.
After Shane McClintock, Q104 radio programmer and BBBS Associate Director, said, “The plates are huge,” not meaning the plates themselves but the helpings, I took a closer look. He was right. And our guests were quite satisfied. I couldn’t believe the food you could order. After it was all over, Shane said, “The event was a huge success considering it was the first one!”
In the BBBS and Applebee’s partnership, other local businesses pitched in to help Miami County children. McDonald’s provided the meat (bacon and sausage), Price Chopper the eggs and bread for toast, and Applebee’s the batter, syrup and butter. But it didn’t stop there, either. Robert’s Dairy came through with the milk. Parisi Artisan Coffee of Kansas City provided the coffee.
When I first arrived around 7 a.m., I couldn’t believe how many vehicles were parked around the fringes of the lot, meaning the volunteers had turned out in huge numbers. Sure enough at that early hour, the volunteers far exceeded those eating, but this didn’t last for long. Whether it was local advertising or the help of Q104 radio, people came and they came hungry.
Many left with leftovers for a later meal. Not Airian our Little, a Paola Middle School sixth-grader. He went through two platefuls. Yay Airian! Plus, he helped with the raffles. He didn’t win the mountain bike he wanted, but, like the other kids, he went home with a gift bag, thanks to Mr. and Mrs. Claus.
Guests really seemed to enjoy being waited on by our celebrity waiters, like Osawatomie’s Dr. Jeff Dorsett, Trojan Elementary Principal Jeff White, Michelle Pixler, and Daniel Dorsett. Miami County Sheriff Frank Kelly, Paola’s Assistant Police Chief Don Poore, Paola Mayor Artie Stuteville and Joe Flake also took orders.
While our BBBS director, Erin Lyon, or, I should say Mrs. Claus, ran here and there, sometimes helping Santa Claus himself, BBBS board members and Bigs also took their turns where needed. Applebee’s employees should also be commended for coming in early to work on a volunteer basis. And many of their own family members volunteered, too.
Sheriff Kelley said helping out by waiting on people at a breakfast like this can be humbling, but he also knows how BBBS can influence young lives. “I want to help out to make sure this progress continues,” he said.
Diane and I have been Bigs for about three and a half years. It can be humbling, as Kelly said, but at the same time a lot of fun getting to know the Little and his family. Sometimes, we do big things like going to see the Royals, a movie occasionally – we took him for horse back riding lessons this last summer – but most of the time, we just go for walks, take him to the library, do homework, grab a meal, hang out and just talk.
Anyone interested in becoming a BIG should realize you will have a real support team behind you, including not just the Little’s family but the BBBS team, including Erin Lyon and her staff, the board of directors, and all the other many Bigs and Littles, who come together at many functions. We had a great time at the hayrack ride at Gene Oliver’s place back around Halloween, for example.
Check us out online at Miami County Big Brothers Big Sisters at http://www.kansasbigs.org/ or find us on Facebook. Call Erin Lyon at 294-4403 to see about being matched with a Little.
Short URL: http://osawatominews.com/?p=693
Posted by admin
on Dec 8 2010. Filed under Kevin Gray, Opinion.
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