The following are fundraisers, donations and other charitable events or opportunities happening in the Midlands. Email your information about good deeds to connect@owh.com or call 402-444-1040.
A chicken in every pot: Hy-Vee Supermarkets and Smart Chicken are donating 5,500 pounds of frozen chicken to Heartland Hope Mission in Omaha and the Micah House in Council Bluffs. Heartland Hope received 3,767 pounds of chicken Friday. Micah House will receive its donation later.
Breakfast: The Nebraska Chapter of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation will have its Great Strides fundraising walk May 12 at Omaha's Lewis & Clark Landing. To get ready, corporate and community leaders are invited to a 7:30 p.m. Thursday breakfast at Home Instead, 13323 California St., to learn more about the disease and the event. Reservations are due Wednesday to Nebraska@cff.org or by calling 402-330-6164.
Help with a child's medical bills: A Friday benefit will help with medical expenses to treat a former Council Bluffs boy who attended Lewis Central Community Schools. Blake Schuler, 11, has Stage 4 cancer of the lymph nodes. A number of his other medical problems complicate treatment. The spaghetti dinner, bake sale, raffle and silent auction will run from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Westside Community Center, 3534 S. 108th St. in Omaha. The cost is $6 for adults and $4 for children. Children younger than 3 eat for free. Donations to help the family can be dropped off at any Omaha Federal Credit Union branch.
Beer tasting: Omaha Beer Week Cask Ale Fest will let beer lovers taste some locally crafted brews while helping Food Bank for the Heartland. The event will run from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. Friday at the Upstream Brewery in the Old Market. Attendees can taste cask ales from eight area breweries. Tickets at Upstream are $20, with about $10 of each going to the food bank. Food also will be served.
Pass the Parmesan: The Papillion Area Lions Club will have its 23rd annual spaghetti dinner fundraiser from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Feb. 5 at the Papillion-La Vista High School auditorium. Entry is $8 for adults, $4 for children ages 6 to 12 and free for children 5 and younger. Money raised will be used for scholarships for students at Papillion-La Vista and Papillion-La Vista South, drug abuse programs, eye exams, youth outreach programs and mentoring programs.
Seventh year: The Todd Becker Foundation of Kearney, Neb, will have its seventh annual fundraising banquet Feb. 6 at the Younes Convention Center in Kearney. Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council of Washington, D.C., will be the guest speaker. The event, which marks the seventh anniversary of Becker's death, will include a book-signing reception with Perkins, silent auction and the 7 p.m. dinner. Tickets, $30, can be purchased at toddbecker.org or by calling 800-983-2644. The Todd Becker Foundation is a Christian ministry that travels the Midwest to do presentations for high school students.
Pink: The Nebraska Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure will host Puttin' in the Pink from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Feb. 8 at Time Square Event Center in Norfolk. The event will include wine, hors d'oeuvres, raffle, silent auction and more. Tickets, $25, are available at Insurance Associates, Re/Max Associates and Copycraft Printing, all in Norfolk, and online at komennebraska.org.
For a cure: It's time to Wrangle Up A Cure for HD with Bar J Wranglers concert at 7 p.m. Feb. 10 at the Merryman Performing Arts Center in Kearney, Neb. Tickets are $15 in advance, $20 at the door and $5 for children. Lap-sitting children are admitted free. Tickets are available in Kearney at JR Wranglers and Bissell Decorating Studio, online at https://www.hdsa.org/events/11203/register.html, by phone to 763-502-1407 and by email to masmussen@hdsa.org. All proceeds from this event benefit the Huntington's Disease Society of America and its fight to improve the lives of those affected by Huntington's disease in Nebraska and surrounding areas.
Freezin' for a reason: The Law Enforcement Torch Run to benefit Special Olympics Nebraska will have its annual Polar Plunge on Feb. 18 at Cunningham Lake. Those brave enough to run into the icy waters are invited to join the Law Enforcement Torch Run to raise money for Special Olympics Nebraska by collecting pledges and coming out to plunge. Prizes will be awarded for raising pledges and costume creativity. The Polar Plunge will begin at 11 a.m., with registration starting at 9:30 a.m. There will be a post-plunge party at the Loose Moose Bar and Grill, 4915 N. 120th St. To learn more and sign up for the Polar Plunge, visit sone.org.
Bowling with a pro: Reservations are due Feb. 22 for the "Dark Knight Classic" Charity Bowling Event featuring Ahman Green. Former Husker, NFL and UFL star Green, his foundation and Allstar24Sports will put on the March 3 event at Maplewood Lanes, 3030 N. 101st St. Sign-in will begin at 11 a.m. with bowling starting at 12:30 p.m. Proceeds will go for hospitalized children battling life-threatening illnesses. Bowling will have competitive and noncompetitive family divisions. Admission is $25 to bowl or $45 to bowl and attend a private autograph signing with Green. Either way, $20 goes to the Ahman Green Foundation. For an extra $5, enter the "Bowl With Ahman" contest to bowl with him on a private lane. To register, mail the registration information and the fee payable to Jeff Lee/Allstar24Sports to: Allstar24Sports P.O. Box 541232, Omaha, NE 68154. Registrations and payment also can be dropped off at State Farm Insurance/Gary Kudym, 8514 Cass St. A confirmation email will be sent once payment is received. If payment has been made and no confirmation received, email 24@Allstar24Sports.com. For full event information and to download a registration form, see Allstar24Sports.com.
Cranes: The Kearney (Neb.) Area Chamber of Commerce and Kearney Area Children's Museum are putting on Kearney's first Lego My Crane Competition. All proceeds will benefit the chamber's Education and Leadership Scholarship. The competition will take place March 15-29. During this time Lego cranes will be displayed at sponsor locations. The public is encouraged to visit the sponsor businesses to vote for their favorite. All cranes must be completed and delivered by March 15 to the chamber. The contest is open to the public and all ages. For rules and guidelines, visit kearneycoc.org and click on the "events" link or contact Leslie Means at 308-237-4671 or lmeans@kearneycoc.org. Winners will be announced at 7:30 p.m. March 29 at KidZone. Admission to KidZone that night will be $2.50, with children 1 year and younger admitted free.
Supplies needed: The refugees at the Yates Community Center knit mittens, hats, scarves and sweaters for Nebraska winters. If you have yarn left from another project, knitting needles (size 7 or smaller) or small crochet hooks, drop them off from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on school days at the Yates Community Center, 3260 Davenport St.
For the troops: Nebraska-based Sam & Louie's Pizza is donating gift certificates for the state's active military and veterans to Nebraska Troops Support, a nonprofit that sends care packages and moral support to military members. Each month Nebraska Troop Support sends approximately 40 packages to service personnel; the packages contain toiletries, books, DVDs, snacks and other nonperishables. Last year, Sam & Louie's donated $3,500 to help send the care packages. This year, Sam & Louie's is donating $18 gift certificates for active military members and veterans. Eligible recipients can receive their certificate by sending a stamped self-addressed envelope to Nebraska Troop Support, 515 Donegal, O'Neill, NE 68763.
A flipping success: The Auburn (Neb.) TeamMates Chapter, the Auburn Knights of Columbus and dozens of Peru (Neb.) State College student athletes worked together on a pancake and sausage breakfast fundraiser last weekend in Auburn. The event raised more than $1,500 for TeamMates mentoring.
Feeding the hungry: Carson Wealth Management Group, an independent investment and wealth management firm, gave more than $20,000 to Food Bank for the Heartland. The funds came from the firm's annual Holiday Brunch and Silent Auction event.
Compiled by Sue Story Truax
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