Rain or shine, Little Swimmers' Community Cookout will go on Saturday evening
By Jennifer Zartman Romano
With an unpredictable weather pattern on the horizon for this weekend, Tammy Azar, coordinator of the annual Donovan Kessler Little Swimmers Community Cookout wants to assure residents the event will go on rain or shine this Saturday, May 14, from 4 to 7 p.m. in the Morsches Park Pavilion.
The fifth annual event raises funds to provide scholarships so that local children can participate in life-saving swim lessons. The event is held in memory of Azar's grandson, Donovan, who tragically drown in a swimming pool several years ago.
Azar's entire family helps to plan the event and this year, Donovan's sister got involved.
"This year, Donovan's big sister, Dixie, is nine years-old and running her own raffle to raise funds. She has five prizes geared toward children and she is selling her tickets for 50 cents a piece," Azar shared.
Azar has been impressed by the generosity of local businesses, collecting more than 50 prizes for drawings the day of the event, including a Peg Perago John Deere Turf Tractor, a $199 Garmin navigation system, two sents of two car washes a month for a year donated by Andy's Carwash, and a $100 shopping spree at Target and Meijer... just to name a few.
Regarding the weather, Azar said, "It may hinder the games outside, but the food, board games and card games will be indoors anyway."
"I'm excited and can barely wait. We are hoping for good weather for the outdoor children's games and face painting," Azar added.
Dinner will include hot dogs or sausage, baked beans, applesauce, chips, beverages and dessert. Tickets are $6 for adults and $4 for children.
Last week, the Little Swimmers Fund held a garage sale to raise funds, collecting $540. The fund is maintained at the Whitley County Community Foundation.
With an unpredictable weather pattern on the horizon for this weekend, Tammy Azar, coordinator of the annual Donovan Kessler Little Swimmers Community Cookout wants to assure residents the event will go on rain or shine this Saturday, May 14, from 4 to 7 p.m. in the Morsches Park Pavilion.
The fifth annual event raises funds to provide scholarships so that local children can participate in life-saving swim lessons. The event is held in memory of Azar's grandson, Donovan, who tragically drown in a swimming pool several years ago.
Azar's entire family helps to plan the event and this year, Donovan's sister got involved.
"This year, Donovan's big sister, Dixie, is nine years-old and running her own raffle to raise funds. She has five prizes geared toward children and she is selling her tickets for 50 cents a piece," Azar shared.
Azar has been impressed by the generosity of local businesses, collecting more than 50 prizes for drawings the day of the event, including a Peg Perago John Deere Turf Tractor, a $199 Garmin navigation system, two sents of two car washes a month for a year donated by Andy's Carwash, and a $100 shopping spree at Target and Meijer... just to name a few.
Regarding the weather, Azar said, "It may hinder the games outside, but the food, board games and card games will be indoors anyway."
"I'm excited and can barely wait. We are hoping for good weather for the outdoor children's games and face painting," Azar added.
Dinner will include hot dogs or sausage, baked beans, applesauce, chips, beverages and dessert. Tickets are $6 for adults and $4 for children.
Last week, the Little Swimmers Fund held a garage sale to raise funds, collecting $540. The fund is maintained at the Whitley County Community Foundation.