Pancake Day patrons show their support for Camp Jorn
By Beth Kramer ekramer@stmedianetwork.com January 29, 2012 6:33PM
Frank Davis of Waukegan works on making pancakes Sunday morning during Camp Jorn fundraiser. | Joe Shuman~for Sun-Times Media
BY THE NUMBERS
How big was the fund-raising breakfast?
Pancake mix: 210 pounds
Sausage: 160 pounds
Coffee: 800 cups
Syrup: 48,000 individual 1.5 oz. containers
Orange juice: 50 gallons
Article Extras
Updated: March 1, 2012 8:36AM
Memories of happy times at summer camp pervaded Bonnie Brook Golf Course in Waukegan on Sunday.
That was because the 48th annual Pancake Day fund-raising event for Camp Jorn summer camp was held there.
“The overall goal is to get the Camp Jorn message out to the people,” said Tony Krause, who is pancake-breakfast event coordinator and Camp Jorn board member.
Camp Jorn YMCA is affiliated with the Lake County Family YMCAs. It offers one- and two-week residential camp sessions for kids in Manitowish Waters, Wis.
“The kids gets an experience up there (in northern Wisconsin) that they’ll never get here. They go up there and go back to nature,” Krause said.
Camp Jorn offers almost 20 programs, in areas like water skiing, horsemanship and drama. Rates start at $570 for a one-week session and progress from there.
All the proceeds raised from Sunday’s brunch will be distributed into partial scholarships to help get kids into C.J.
Between 500-600 people were served at Sunday’s pancake breakfast, raising at least $5,000, Krause estimated.
This was the second year that the breakfast was held at Bonnie Brook. It used to be held at the Waukegan YMCA facility.
Krause said changing the venue and upgrading the dishes to real china and silverware (compared to plastic utensils and plastic foam) improved the event.
“I think that’s making a difference. I think we’re the only pancake event that still puts flowers on the tables,” Krause said.
Displays with additional information about C.J. were also placed on tables.
Volunteers affiliated with C.J. in some way like Emily Andersen, 18, served people breakfast and cleared dishes.
Andersen of Bristol, Wis., attended C.J. since she was 8. She started working there as a camp counselor last year.
She said she still talks to the friends she made at camp.
“It’s a lot of fun— you become very independent being away from your parents,” Andersen said.
C.J. is about fun while teaching its core values of honesty, respect, caring, responsibility and personal growth, Andersen said.
“I feel like ... camp is good for kids. I feel like if I didn’t go to camp, I’d be a completely different person,” Andersen said.
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