The South Windsor Lions Club held its annual pancake breakfast on Sunday, March 30th. The breakfast was held at the South Windsor Fire Department on Ellington road, running from 8:30 in the morning to noon.
It was 12 dollars for adults and 5 dollars for kids 10 and under. In addition, customers had the options of pancakes, eggs, and sausage to choose from, all unlimited.
Many people from the town enjoyed this event as it was a fun way for families to connect with each other, talk to friends after church, or for strangers to get to know one another. The volunteers who attended had a chance to interact with the customers and the members of the Lions Club while doing assigned work at the same time.
“It was an entertaining and a fun event to see people from around the town chat and interact with each other. It was also fun to volunteer at an event that gave back to the community,” SWHS sophomore Diya Krishna told The Prowl.
It truly was an event where people in the town made connections with people who they usually would never meet. For example, state representative Tom Delnicki and former town mayor Audrey Delnicki were both in attendance at the event. Many town residents enjoyed socializing with them.
Although the event was a fun time for the residents of South Windsor to connect at the moment, the cost of entry will go so much further than just another pancake breakfast. The whole event was coordinated by the South Windsor Lions Club, which is a smaller branch of Lions international. Lions International is a non-profit organization that has core values of helping local and international communities through service, excellence, and integrity.
The South Windsor branch of Lions helps with support and run several programs in South Windsor.
“We donate towards the local scholarship fund, the food and fuel bank, ride shares and the memorial day parade event every year, guide dogs,” Christy Shaher, a “Lion Tamer” in the Lions club, said. “We also donate towards vision things like eye screenings in elementary schools.”
The money from these events always goes back to the community. The primary goal of the South Windsor Lions is to always support the local community, as every cent that goes into the program goes back out. It is an entirely volunteer organization run by people who want to improve the community.
This can be seen in people who took part in eye testing in elementary schools, which was funded by the Lions Club.
“Getting my eyes tested in 5th grade saved me a lot of time,” freshman Emma Hennessey said. “It really saved me and my family from having trouble with it later along in life.”
The events such as the pancake breakfast in the spring and spaghetti dinner in the fall help the Lions raise money for these causes, further bringing more back into the local community.
“The pancake breakfast and the spaghetti dinner helps with the local community as every penny that we bring in goes out, everything always goes back,” Christy Shaher told The Prowl. “Like at the spaghetti dinners, veterans always eat for free. It’s a community effort.”
The Lions Club, and other groups, such as Rotary International and Interact Club at the high school, help give back more and more to the community every year through their service and commitment to making the community of South Windsor a better place.
