500 Pancakes Flipped: Cranberry Lions Raise Money for Mira Foundation for the Blind

This article was submitted by Michael Doerfler of the Cranberry Lions Club

The Cranberry Township Area Lions Club members were flipping pancakes for a good cause in July.

The club held its 16th annual pancake breakfast during Cranberry Township’s Community Chest Community Days celebration.

Proceeds from the breakfast benefit the club’s crusade to help the blind, including a new project involving MIRA guide dogs for young people.  

A $500 check has since been presented to the MIRA Foundation, and accepted by Max Lamm, and his dog Seal.

Max is 12 years old and a student at St. Killian’s Catholic School in Cranberry. He is the youngest person in the United States to receive a MIRA guide dog.

Another Cranberry resident, 14-year-old Lexi Smith, is actually in Montreal, Canada for a month-long training experience before returning home with her MIRA dog, named Cruise.

Max and his family were instrumental in raising the $60,000 needed to raise and train Lexi’s dog, according to the Cranberry Lions organization.

On July 12, the club served 512 people a hearty breakfast of pancakes, sausage, fruit, coffee, orange juice and lemonade. Local restaurants and food retailers donated much of the food and beverages.

The club also held a successful 50/50 raffle.  A record amount was collected, and the lucky winner received $1,155. 

“The total amount raised by the club, including breakfast money and raffle money, is expected to be over $4,400,” club president Chuck Caputy said. “This is a great accomplishment for our club, and all of the money raised will go to helping the blind which is the most important goal for every Lions Club. We greatly appreciate the donations, and most of all, everyone who makes our breakfast a Community Days tradition.”

Caputy extended special thanks to Lions Andy Newell and John Moss, and their team of club members and volunteers who gathered supplies for weeks and worked from before 6 a.m. on the day of the breakfast until the shelter was emptied of guests and pancakes.  

Donations and support from local sponsors helped the Lions maximize proceeds to pledge toward future projects, according to the club.  

The next Lions Club event is the annual Family Mini-Golf Outing on Saturday, October 12 at Fun Fore All in Cranberry Township. 

For information on this event, call Janet Konig at 724-772-3032 or email msturtle@consolidated.net.

For more information on the Lions Club, visit www.cranberrylions.org or call Tim Roscoe at 724-538-1008 or email roscoe@zbzoom.net