UBC Reports | Vol. 47 | No. 15 | October 4, 2001

Flour power puts fun in fundraiser

Breakfast tradition shows heart in more ways than one

In Health Sciences, a United Way tradition has evolved into an ad hoc contest to determine which celebrity chef can create the best pancake in the shape of a vital organ.

"Batter up," Anatomy Prof. Chuck Slonecker has been known to quip, as he passes large mixing bowls to chef-artistes, including former deans and professors emeritii who use the sloppy medium to fashion and flip flapjacks in the shape of a heart or a kidney.

In some cases, however, the artists' choice of subject has reflected the faculty they represent.

Dentistry Dean Edwin Yen's depiction of teeth routinely takes top marks for artistry, while Pharmaceutical Sciences Dean Frank Abbott's batter-on-griddle expressions of the symbol for Pharmacy, described as "marginal at best," have none the less drawn praise for their complexity.

This year's breakfast is set for Oct. 16 from 7:30-10 a.m. in the concourse of the Instructional Resources Centre.

The artistry and ambience, not to mention a nourishing breakfast, can all be had for $3.

According to chief organizer Roseanne McIndoe, a lot of well-known campus people, including UBC President Martha Piper, have flipped for the United Way at the popular fundraiser which started too long ago for anyone to remember.

"One of the reasons it has been so much fun is that it brings people together from many faculties and departments," says McIndoe, an Anatomy Dept. technician for 36 years, whose volunteer record helped earn her a President's Service Award for Excellence last May.

Food Services and its suppliers provide the batter ingredients, juice and coffee to serve some 250 participants, while Plant Operations chips in the electrical requirements.

McIndoe is still fine-tuning the list of celebrity chefs for this year's event.

UBC's goal this year is to raise $395,000 for the United Way, up from $340,000 raised last year. Donations can be directed to any one of the United Way's 136 member agencies and affiliates or through United Way to any other licensed charity. Pledge forms have now been distributed to all campus employees.

More information

www.unitedway.ubc.ca