The 2015 LIVE UNITED Campaign kicked off on September 11 with the annual breakfast event held at The Plex in north Ames. This year’s event fell on the 14th anniversary of September 11, 2001, and United Way of Story County started the program with a moment of silence in remembrance.
If you’ve attended the Kickoff Breakfast before, you know it’s an inspiring and delicious way to start the day (and the campaign).
So, what goes into preparing and feeding breakfast to 400 people in less than an hour? A few great volunteers, some generous local grocers, a terrific kitchen and maybe a little magic.
When looking back through past files, it appears the Kickoff Breakfast began in 2000. The campaign goal to help improve lives in the community was $925,000 that year. This year’s goal is $2.1 million.
Just as the needs in our community have increased, the number of people attending the breakfast has as well. In 2009, the event moved to The Plex in order to accommodate the growing crowd attending. In the mid 2000s, about 150 people attended. This year’s breakfast had nearly 400 on site.
Throughout the years, the menu has changed only slightly. Egg casserole (three different kinds), fruit, mini muffins, coffee and orange juice are always served at no cost to attendees. At one point, a hash brown casserole was also served. Every year, the same handful of volunteers (and a few new ones here and there) shows up the night before the breakfast to whip eggs, cut melons, chop bread and set the tables.
The commercial kitchen at The Plex is the perfect place to prepare and cook the breakfast. This year, 15 large casseroles were prepared using donations from Burke, Hy-Vee and Fareway; Mary Greeley Medical Center donates the 450 mini muffins; two dozen melons were cut, also courtesy of Hy-Vee; and Burgie’s Coffee donates the 22 gallons of coffee drank. There weren’t many leftovers, but what was left was donated to Emergency Residence Project and Food at First.
The morning of the event, ovens are turned on at 5 a.m., and breakfast is ready to serve a few hours later. The United Way of Story County Board of Directors serves up two lines and everyone is ready to hear the program about 8 a.m. This year, 2015 LIVE UNITED Campaign Chair Jonathan Wickert shared some remarks about United Way’s work and introduced a new video with three personalized stories of how United Way supporters are impacting the education, income and health of many in Story County.
In addition to kicking off the annual LIVE UNITED Campaign, the breakfast also preludes the Day of Caring, which is a yearly event (beginning in 1998) where businesses provide volunteers who help nonprofit agencies complete projects such as cleaning, landscaping, painting, etc. around the county. The impact of the Day of Caring has increased tremendously. When I was a volunteer co-chair for the Day of Caring committee in 2006, we had just over 200 volunteers participating. This year, 600 volunteers were involved, and the previous two years saw more than 800!
If you’ve not participated in either event before, keep the Friday after Labor Day in mind. You’ll be full and inspired. Plus, you might even leave The Plex with a little magic in your step.