By Jack Lawson –
On Nov. 7, Nepean High School will host its 25th annual Pancake Breakfast to raise money for the Dave Smith Foundation, a local arm of the United Way that focuses on addiction counselling for youth.
Tickets will cost $7 in advance and $8 at the door, and breakfast pastries will be prepared by students at the high school. Much of the rest of the breakfast will be provided by local businesses.
“We’ll be serving up unlimited food – pancakes, sausages, big platters of fruit, bagels donated by Bagel Bagel…and breakfast pastries,” says Charlotte Syme, a grade 12 student at Nepean High School and the media coordinator for the event.
Last year the Pancake Breakfast raised just over $3,000. This year the committee, composed primarily of students from the high school, aims to raise $5,000.
The Dave Smith Youth Treatment Centre provides services to those struggling with addiction using a harm reduction strategy, amongst others. The Centre offers two 24-hour- based residential treatment facilities in addition to an aftercare program to help deal with potential relapses.
“Twenty-five years ago Dave Smith came to us asking if we could help organize a charity event for him,” says Syme. “He also has a deli, so he was [willing] to make the pancakes and supply all the sausages and stuff, and let us run the breakfast.”
To this day, Smith cooks most of the pancakes and helps supply the event if needed. This year over 100 sausages will be provided by numerous small delis in the Kitchissippi ward, according to Syme.
One of the biggest features of the Pancake Breakfast is a silent auction. A lot of the prizes are from local businesses and are geared towards parents. Donors include Lululemon, Roots, Bridgehead, and Starbucks.
“We’re also trying to bring more local celebrities in,” says Syme. “We’ll have some people speaking, and serving pancakes.”
Notable attendees will include former principal René Bibaud, who was recognized as one of Canada’s Outstanding Principals for 2014, and members of the Carleton Ravens.
Although the event is open to everyone, parents will make up the majority of the crowd.
“I feel like parents in the community want to come to something local,” says Syme. “Everyone knows the United Way, but the fact that the Dave Smith Foundation is in Ottawa is what makes the event what it is.”
The Pancake Breakfast will run from 7:30 a.m. until 9:30 a.m. Tickets can be purchased from students at the school, and will be available at the door.