A cause worth shedding a few tears over
Every year the Kiwanis Club of Glen Ellyn makes people cry. Yet, they keep coming back for more year after year.
At least that's what Bill Laing says about the group's annual sweet Vidalia onion fundraiser.
"Vidalia onions are unique," he said. "They're only grown in one place in the United States. They're sweet. People who like onions love Vidalia onions."
The onions, farm-grown in Vidalia, Ga., are shipped within days of being hand-picked. Each year about this time, advance orders for the onions are taken by Kiwanis members, with delivery expected in May when the bags will be distributed to the club's broad base of customers, who are waiting with recipe books in hand.
And they're so sweet and juicy, says Laing, that once folks taste them, they usually come back the following year to order at least one more bag. There are many loyal return customers who look forward to the prospect of cooking with and eating the savory onions.
Sold in 10-pound bags for $10 a bag, orders for the Vidalia onions will be taken by Kiwanis members until the end of April. The onions will be delivered just in time for pick-up at the Glen Ellyn Kiwanis' annual pancake breakfast from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. May 10 at the First United Methodist Church, Duane and Forest, Glen Ellyn.
On that day, a truck parked outside the church will be unloading the onions, and volunteers with Kiwanis will help as folks come to claim them. Once there, the aroma of hot coffee and sizzling sausage on the grill just might lure people inside for the breakfast.
The pancake breakfast features all-you-can-eat pancakes, sausages, juice and coffee in the friendly atmosphere of the church gymnasium. Tickets are $5 each, and kids under 10 eat for free. Breakfast will be prepared and served by the Glen Ellyn Kiwanis and members of the Glenbard South and Glenbard West Key Clubs, which is the high school arm of the Kiwanis Club.
The Kiwanis event also offers a colorful array of flowering baskets for sale with perfect timing for Mother's Day. For the best selection, buyers should get there early as the flowers usually sell out by around noon.
The Kiwanis Club of Glen Ellyn is a service organization active in the Glen Ellyn community for 54 years. The club's motto is "Serving the Children of the World." Over the years, the club has raised funds to support many local charities, including sponsoring local scholarships, delivering Christmas gifts to needy families, supporting local food pantries, and volunteering in many ways in the community.
The club's four main fundraisers are the Vidalia onion sale, pancake breakfast and flower sale, Peanut Day in September and the sale of Entertainment coupon books
In the interest of disclosure I will say that I am a member of the Kiwanis Club of Glen Ellyn, and I can vouch that any funds raised through the four events stay right in the area and are used for local children in need.
For details about the Vidalia onions, call Bill Laing at (630) 858-2076 or Jack Breeser at (630) 469-9085. For pancake tickets, call Jim Ball at (630) 469-2618. For details about the Kiwanis Club, visit the Web site at www.glen-ellyn.com/kiwanis. Meetings are held at 6:30 p.m. Wednesdays at Danby's Station in Glen Ellyn.