Traditions hold a special place in our hearts, and the annual Coyote Hill Foster Care Ministries Pancake Breakfast is stacked with the best of them. For 22 years, this event supported our foster families by raising money for the Coyote Hill Foster Care Ministries Memory Makers Fund (formerly the Recreation Fund). This fund enables families to enjoy special activities and vacations while giving the children unique, sometimes once-in-a-lifetime, experiences. Hundreds of people came out every year to enjoy delicious pancakes, live music, and fellowship while supporting this great cause.
The wonderful people at Memorial Baptist Church faithfully hosted this event year after year, dedicating their time, resources, and hearts of service. But when COVID hit our world, this longstanding event came to a standstill. Large gatherings weren’t feasible, so Coyote Hill Foster Care Ministries had to get creative about how to raise money for this special fund.
“Two years were done virtually and were extremely successful financially to support the summer activities for the children. However, they lacked the human connection that made these events what they were. With the inability to offer it in 2022 because of a January COVID surge, the ministry believed that a pivot was necessary,” said our Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Bill Atherton.
This change was both challenging and sad because of the special place the Pancake Breakfast held in everyone’s hearts. It was so much more than just breakfast or a fundraiser.
“It was a family reunion every year! My family would come in from out of town, and family and friends of the ministry would come every year. It was a bonding experience for everyone. At our last event in March 2019, my son and Grandma ate together. She was undergoing cancer treatments at the time, and he was just three years old. This would be the last Coyote Hill Foster Care Ministries event she ever attended. She never missed a pancake breakfast for 10 years prior,” said our Chief Development Officer (CDO), Kari Hopkins.
“In the beginning days, Memorial Baptist and a skeleton crew made it all happen. As time went on, more planning, more volunteers, more guests, more friendships, more pancakes, and the jaw-dropping pancake toppings table all became a reality. It was always a time to share the vision of the ministry. It became an annual reunion of familiar faces and a time to introduce the ministry to new families—a time to catch up with others and share how the ministry of Coyote Hill Foster Care Ministries was still going strong serving children like no one else,” reflected Bill.
The Pancake Breakfast was a success year after year because of the dedicated volunteers but also because “it gave families the ability to do something together to support the work of foster care. There are many fundraising events that are not so kid-friendly; this one was created with every generation in mind,” said Kari.
With a new year upon us, we still wanted to create an event that would be family-friendly, yet spacious to allow for social distancing and give us the opportunity to try something new.
“Our supporters are our extended family, and they continue to grow with us. The desire to be able to reconnect in person drove us to recreate a similar but different opportunity to gather with our supporters. Hence, the Pancakes and Pickleball event was born. We believe this new twist on our pancake breakfast will allow us all to reconnect around plates of pancakes while being able to offer a fun family experience for many,” said Bill.
