Griddle sizzling fresh pancake batter and laughter from Charleston Rotary Club members and students waiting in-line with anticipation will be heard on Saturday from the annual Homecoming Pancake Breakfast.

From 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. Dirty’s Bar and Grill parking lot on 706 Lincoln Ave. transforms into a pancake house selling unlimited pancakes and sausages.

Tickets can be purchased during the breakfast. Adult tickets cost $6 and tickets for children under 12 years of age cost $3.

Jeanne Hamilton, president and website manager for the Rotary Club, said the growing mission of the pancake breakfast is to not only serve the Eastern community but the Charleston community.

“Originally started out to fill up the student’s tummies for breakfast but we started a new project to implement new technology in the school district, support Charleston’s library, high school sports and purchase a heart scan,” Hamilton said.

The breakfast traditionally raises about $1600-2,000 and the funds are used to help Charleston districts by supporting an annual scholarship for senior Charleston High School students attending Eastern.

The ticket sales from the pancake breakfast serves as the major fundraiser for the Charleston Rotary Club. However, the event will be a vehicle to raise awareness about “End Polio Now” campaign.

The Rotary International organization adopted this foundation in effort to help end the polio disease soon, partly because in 2014 only two countries reported citizens having the disease.

Tim Silence, director of community service, stated, “I had Polio when I was kid. That’s why I got exited when Bill Gates partnered with the rotary and donated $100 million for children’s immunizations.”

“A lot of us will be wearing our End Polio Now T-shirts. We will have signs, and our international students will be walking around Charleston asking businesses for funds and donations,” said Silence.

The mission of the pancake breakfast drives the Rotary Club members to remain motivated throughout the planning and administrating process.

The Rotary Club has enlisted the help of the Sigma Phi Eplison fraternity as volunteers to help transport the industrial griddle and to help cook the pancakes.

“It could not be possible without the Charleston Fire Department and Dirty’s facilities working with us,” Silence said.

Kalyn Hayslett can be reached at 581-2812 or keyhayslett@eiu.edu.