Grayslake Lions Club Serves Up Breakfast, Raises Funds

People came hungry and left happy and full.

Approximately 425 people enjoyed a bottomless plate buffet of pancakes, toppings, sausage, sweet treats and beverages at the ’s annual Pancake Breakfast. The event raised $2,500 to help support the club’s international mission of assisting the vision and hearing impaired.

In Grayslake, the funds are used to help provide eye exams and glasses for local school children whose parents cannot otherwise provide these items. The Grayslake Lions Club also helps adults and seniors who need financial assistance to purchase glasses or hearing aids, sponsors one to two children to attend Camp Lions, a camp designed for sight or hearing impaired children, and offers a scholarship to students at who are hearing or visually impaired or who plan to work in that field.

Darlene Dorfler, Grayslake Lions Club Pancake Breakfast chair, said the crowd was a good mix of new and familiar faces. She said she enjoys the Grayslake community for its small-town feel and the people. “I’ve been here my whole life,” she said.

Rich Walters, a Grayslake Lions member, said that aside from being for a good cause the event was enjoyable for a number of reasons.

“It’s a social place where people can get together and enjoy some good food,” he said.

Mary Dietz said as Lions members she and her husband are able to give back to the community they love so much.

“It’s something we can do together. We’re doing something good,” she said. “We’ve lived here for 45 years. We just love it. We loved raising our children here.”

Carole Frank, a Grayslake Lions Club member, said helping those in the vision and hearing impaired community is close to her heart; her past husband was blind.

“It’s self satisfying," Frank said. "I just like helping people. It’s not for the glory of yourself; it’s what you can do for others.”

Thelma Kenworthy said her friend told her about the event. “I love it, this is fun,” she said.

Pam Hrabak attended with Janet Trexler.

“It’s nice for the community, to bring people together,” Hrabak said.

Trexler said she has supported the Lions Club’s services and programs for a long time and previously worked for the Chicago Hearing Society. When talking about the club’s work she said “excellent,” and cited the high cost of hearing aides as a reason many benefit from its fundraising efforts.

Also at the event were volunteers from Grayslake Central High School’s National Honor Society and Key Club.

“They help us for all our functions, we really couldn’t do it without them,” Dorfler said about the high school volunteers.

The April 10 event also included a 50/50 raffle, having the , conveniently located next door, being open for tours and Grayslake firemen showing children fire trucks.

Look for club members May 6 and 7 selling Tootsie Pops on street corners of Grayslake to help raise funds. The club’s next big event is their annual Steer Roast in the fall.

The club meets the second Tuesday of each month at 7 p.m. Meetings are open to the public and new members are welcome.