LS pancake fundraiser served dual purpose: help the community, praise the teachers 

When 12-year-old Abby Sanning and her 8-year-old sister, Claire, first saw Anne Smith at the Lee’s Summit Annual Pancake Breakfast, they ran up to their former teacher to greet her with a big hug.

“She was one of my favorites,” Abby Sanning said.

Added toothless Claire with a big grin, “She was our first teacher.”

The Sannings were just two of an estimated 500 participants throughout the day to thank Smith and some 50 other teachers for their dedication to education.

The Feb. 22 event, which has been Lee’s Summit Social Services’ top fundraiser since 1997, has raised as much as $25,000 annually in recent years. Organizers set a goal this year to match last year’s contributions.

Last year, the event provided free breakfast to firefighters. The year before, local policemen were recognized.

“I love it,” said Smith, an early childhood teacher at Our Lady of the Presentation who has taught in Lee’s Summit schools for the past 35 years. “It’s nice to have someone say, it’s the teachers’ turn.”

Teachers are overlooked, added Smith’s daughter Megan Dickinson, who is a teaching assistant and cook at the same school. “It’s great to be told you are appreciated, even though you know you are.”

More than 100 sponsors contributed between $250 and $500 to the event. All had their names listed on paper placemats, while larger contributors sponsored a full table. Local vendors donated cooking supplies and food. Tickets cost $6 for adults and $4 for kids. The meal included pancakes, sausage and orange juice.

“We love our teachers,” said Matt Sanning, executive director of Lee’s Summit Social Services and a 2000 graduate of Lee’s Summit High School. “We feel like they are some of the most unsung heroes in our community. It’s important for them to know how much this community loves and appreciates them.”

Lee’s Summit Social Services, an emergency assistance agency, gave more than $1.7 million worth of in-kind and monetary services in 2019 to individuals and families in need. The organization services Lee’s Summit, Lake Lotawana, Greenwood and Lone Jack.

For 9-year-old Issac Mundock and his identical twin brother, Elias, both fourth-graders at Longview Farm Elementary School, eating pancakes was a bonus. They really wanted to thank their teachers.

Although Elias’ teacher, Katelyn Hardt, and Isaac’s teacher, Carrie Bryant, weren’t in the room, the boys wanted them to know how much their teaching skills were appreciated.

“She’s just a really good teacher. She doesn’t teach us anything we don’t need to know,” Elias said. “She just wants us to pass our tests and do good in school.”

The Mundock twins’ father, Ryan Mundock, is vice president of the Lee’s Summit R-7 School district school board. He said Hardt’s “Genius Hour” was especially rewarding for the students as Elias was able to conduct a special presentation on Harry Potter.

“It’s awesome,” Mundock said. “It keeps him motivated. It’s fantastic.”

Although she did not get a chance to attend, Longview Principal Kimberly Hassler was excited to hear two students specifically recognized her teachers.

“I do have a wonderful staff here. I’m very proud of them,” said Hassler, a 1979 graduate of Lee’s Summit High School.

“I think it’s wonderful Lee’s Summit Social Services chose to recognize the teachers. They do a lot in the community.”

This story was originally published February 26, 2020 at 11:23 AM.