Camp Judy

Turning Pancake Batter into Dough: My Family Fundraiser for Clearity

It started as Camp Judy. It is an annual tradition that I started in 2007 to spend some special time with my two nieces over for the 4th of July. Tess, Maggie and I treasure Camp Judy and look forward to it every year. A few years ago, appreciative of our good fortune, we decided to use the occasion to help others. Tess and Maggie would come a day or two early to play and then my family would join us on the 4th to celebrate the holiday. Tess, Maggie and I developed a tradition of making everyone a pancake breakfast on the morning of the 4th.

Meanwhile, I had a co-worker who was always volunteering. What really inspired me was his Medical Mission trip he took every other year to the Philippines. When he was not in the Philippines, he was constantly collecting used eyeglasses, wheelchairs, crutches; anything medical for the mission trip. Seeing this moved me to do something of my own. Then I thought, why not host a neighborhood pancake breakfast on July 4, 2010. It would be a great opportunity for all of us, including my nieces, to experience the joy of volunteering.

Our next step was to determine the recipient of the funds we raised. We wanted an organization that was not so well known and that's when my good friend Brenda who visits every year on the 4th of July mentioned The Clearity Foundation. It was an easy decision. Brenda had been volunteering for The Clearity Foundation and her mother had been battling ovarian cancer for four years at the time. Tess and Maggie were excited to help-out and decided they’d be in charge of Finance and Advertising.

The first pancake breakfast last year resulted in $650 in donations. Not bad, we thought, for the small neighborhood and close family and friends. This year we met our goal of raising $1,000 by serving 65 people pancakes, sausage, fruit, orange juice and coffee. Friends and family took on responsibilities and helped make the event a huge success. They include Brenda (CEO), my sister Joan and brother-in-law George (Public Relations and Facilities), nephew Kevin (Social Media Expert – he texted all his hungry friends), neighbors Tom (Maintenance) and Lyn (Sausage Queen), friend Jill (Cook and Entertainment), and friend Jody who sent her husband Shaun and two daughters Casey and Abby to fill-in for her while she had to work. Special thanks to three other very generous donors who helped make the breakfast a success!

It has been great to incorporate volunteering into Camp Judy and we are richer for the experience of being able to contribute to The Clearity Foundation. Tess and Maggie were so proud of their efforts that they plan on wearing their Clearity Foundation t-shirts to the first day of school.