Harper Woods

Dad’s Club invites public to pancake breakfast

By April Lehmbeck
C & G Staff Writer

HARPER WOODS — The Harper Woods Dad’s Club devotes its time every year to helping the schools and the community, but they need help bringing their goals to fruition.

All it takes is a little volunteer effort, or even just sitting down to enjoy some fluffy pancakes.

The club is hosting a pancake breakfast from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. Feb. 3, Superbowl Sunday, at the high school. The cost of the breakfast is $5 for adults and $3 for children ages 9 and younger; proceeds will be used to help fund the programs and scholarship activities the club sponsors.

“The Dad’s Club has done an excellent job of fundraising for the schools for 40 years now,” Mayor Ken Poynter said. “They’ve donated a lot of money and it’s really been great.”

School Board President Brian Selburn also commented on the dedication of the Dad’s Club.

“The Dad’s Club is a great benefactor of kids in the district,” he said. “Your club gives back.”

The Dad’s Club has also done its part in helping both the city and schools. They have done a number of things, like providing mulch for the playground at Beacon, cookies for the city’s tree-lighting ceremony, supporting parks and recreation summer programs and contributing to the tin-can auctions in the schools.

They also provide scholarships to students each year, said John Schenburn, club president.

“That’s what it’s all about is our kids,” he said.

“I’d like to see everybody help us and support us,” Schenburn said. “We need your help. We do a lot.”

Fred Como, a representative of the Dad’s Club, said they would be honoring John Bruneel this year. Bruneel, a long-time Dad’s Club member, was active in many city and school programs and attended council meetings until he died last year. He was in his 90s and beloved by many in the city.

Tickets can be purchased from any Dad’s Club member, but will be available at the door.

“We’d like to try and get as many as we can sold ahead of time,” Schenburn said.

“We’d appreciate everybody to show up,” he said.

For those who can’t make the pancake breakfast but want to help out and get involved in the Dad’s Club, Schenburn emphasized that the club is open to mothers, too, or anyone who wants to lend a hand to help out the community, even if they don’t have children in the schools. Many of the current members don’t, he said.

Membership has dropped since the 1970s, when the club began. There were more than 100 members in that decade. Now, they are in need of more members with fewer than two dozen in the ranks now.

“Hopefully, I can get more members,” Schenburn said.

The group meets on the first Thursday of the month at the Moose Lodge on Nine Mile, between Kelly and Gratiot. Membership is $25.

You can reach C & G Staff Writer April Lehmbeck at alehmbeck@candgnews.com or at (586)498-1043.