The Kiwanis Club of Paris came to the difficult decision to cancel its 2020 Pancake Days fundraiser due to the abundance of COVID-19 regulations.
“There were so many high-risk factors that we had to consider, especially because of the way we run our event. This was such a hard decision for the board to make,” said club president Denise Kornegay.
Kornegay said that after having postponed the event in March when coronavirus took hold, the months following had seen the board have many discussions. The more they discussed possible outlays, the more apparent it became that they would have to forego this years’ event.
“It’s going to be a hard year,” she said. “The pancake days is one of two events we fundraise for Kiwanis, and without that money coming in, we will be cutting back and cutting out elements of our club’s budget for the next year.”
However, though it may seem dreary not just for the community, but for members, Kornegay did say there was a silver lining to the overall outcome.
Turner Industries, which has another factory in Lake Charles, LA, has been helping with hurricane relief efforts as it was one town that was hit hard as Hurricane Laura passed over.
Now, the club has members on the road to deliver 2,700 lbs of pancake mix and 288 lbs of syrup to help feed people in Lake Charles.
“We have a member of the club who also works for Turner Industries, and this trip is going to help several on the ground organizations help those in need,” said Kornegay. “It’s the biggest cup of ‘lemonade’ to come out of a disappointing situation. Next year will be bigger and better; we will be back.”
Until then, Kornegay said the club would continue to monitor all local, state, and federal guidelines to ensure that next year they can come back, flipping flapjacks for the community.
Pictured: clockwise from bottom left – Frank McHam, Gary Pirtle, Catherine McHam, Darrell Hawkes, Sr., James Mazy, Peggy Hawkes, Denise Kornegay, and Brenda Wells
