BYM and Malden Lions Club give back to the community at Christmas

MALDEN, Mo. - Sleigh bells rang for children of all ages as they walked through the winter wonderland that was the Bootheel Youth Museum (BYM) on Saturday Dec. 10.

The museum, a destination at Malden, hosted its annual Pancakes with Santa event with help from the community and especially, the Malden Lions Club.

This year's Christmas spectacular was a red-letter day for all 1,070 guests who enjoyed a free breakfast and photos with Saint Nick and Mrs. Claus, the children who chose gifts for their parents in the Kids Only Shopping Zone and the 60 volunteers who served as Santa's elves and kitchen staff.

BYM Executive Director Patsy Reublin was delighted with the record-setting turnout and tipped her hat to all who gave of themselves in order to give back to the community.

“The museum couldn't function without all the people who volunteer,” Reublin said. “Pancakes with Santa is a great example of how important our community is to our success.

“There's no way we could get the more than 1,000 people through the museum and into the warehouse, on to Santa's lap and through the gift room, presents wrapped and pancakes made for smiling kids inside the museum in two hours without the kind of support we get from the Malden Lions Club, all our volunteers and the support we get from our community and our partners,” she added. “Malden is a unique community. This is why you don't find a Bootheel Youth Museum in every small town in America. It takes special people, and folks around here are very special.”

That includes all the attendees who represented 22 cities and towns in Missouri and five from Arkansas, she noted.

And Reublin continued to shine a spotlight on the Malden Lions Club, the only globally-recognized civic organization in town, which this year celebrates it's Centennial Anniversary.

“They donated funds for this and much more,” Reublin said. “We had eight or nine Lions working the event here on Saturday.

“They were cooking, wrapping presents, working with kids, and one member served as Santa while another was Buddy the Elf,” the executive director beamed. “It was their event as much as ours.”

Malden Lions Club Pres. Marilynn Reaves, a longtime member and Lions Club International officer, said the group was grateful for opportunities to continue serving the people of the region.

“We always do pancakes, juice, coffee and milk,” Reaves said. “We help with collecting tickets, getting and wrapping gifts, collecting donations and in the Kids Only shopping area.

“We help direct traffic inside the BYM, getting people to the right places,” the club president continued. “However we can assist, we're proud to do it.”

Reublin said Pancakes with Santa originated as a Malden Chamber of Commerce activity, and Reaves agreed.

“It was started by the Chambermaids,” Reaves said. “They served donut holes, coffee and milk.

“When they decided they were too old to continue, the Malden Lions Club was asked if we wanted to participate,” she added. “We served pancakes, people seemed to like it and we've done it ever since. Now we're happy to do more than just serve breakfast, and we look forward to this community-building every year.”

Reublin also commended BYM Program Director Jacob Heck, staff members Whitney Killebrew and Arieyanna Crank for their vibrance and positive contributions.

“We start planning in July when we send out information about the dates to all our volunteers,” Reublin said. “And we start putting the event on calendars all over the region.

“We start soliciting for donations for the gift room in July,” Reublin noted. “We try to get those donations year round. Once Halloween is over, we start decorating for Christmas and we decorate for Pancakes with Santa until the day of the event, which always is on the first Saturday in December. We used the museum and the warehouse this year. It's a free event, and has been since the museum took it over. The Chambermaids used to charge a dollar or two. But now, it's just a good-will offering and people who come for the breakfast can spend the day at the museum free of charge.”

Killebrew spent hours decorating, and said the expressions of wonder on kids' faces made it all worthwhile.

Reublin agreed.

“We're really proud of the gift room,” she said. “I think we're one of the only holiday celebrations that gives kids opportunities to go in and select gifts for their parents.

“We're helping kids learn about the joy of giving,” she emphasized. “That it's a really important part of the holiday season. They get gifts from Santa and they participate in the gift-giving, which is a huge portion of the season.”

Some people arrived not knowing exactly what to expect, Killebrew said.

“A lot of people said it was their first time,” Killebrew explained. “And it was a big deal to them.

“A really big deal,” she continued. “Parents were able to come here and enjoy a whole day with their kids that really cost them nothing but gas for their cars. They loved the gifts and the pictures with Santa. I did some of the organizing and most of the decorating, communicating back and forth with volunteers, and Patsy and I gave out flyers.”

And that's not all, Reublin noted.

“She worked with volunteers the day of the event, too,” the executive director said. “We have a lot of people say they were surprised at how much décor there was and that they've made this an annual family Christmas tradition.

“I get to see these families,” Reublin insisted. “And I get to know them. They have taken pictures with Santa since the kids were babies, so that's a lot of fun getting to watch their kids grow. It's really cool.”

Crank, a slight wisp of a young lady, served as one of Santa's elves and noted every kid who attended Pancakes with Santa left with a gift.

“The whole event was amazing,” she said. “Last year not every kid got a gift.

“But this year we made sure every kid had a gift in their hands,” she added. “Overall it was a really great event.”

A well-known outfit donated a stock of toys to place with visitors, Reublin said.

But this year's Pancakes with Santa broke every attendance record.

“We had more kids visit Santa than we had toys from Toys For Tots,” she explained. “They gave us 400 items.

“Luckily we had received a donation of plush toys,” she added. “So that really helped us out.”

Although Pancakes with Santa now is a fond memory, Heck said preparations already are ongoing for the BYM's next two extravaganzas.

“Noon Years Eve,” Heck said. “Noon Years Eve is at noon on July 31.

“That way you don't have to stay up until midnight to enjoy New Years Eve,” he laughed. “We'll have a big balloon drop and a couple of small games. But it's going to be a super fun event.”

And then comes the BYM's sole fund raiser for the year, the program director explained.

“Right after that we're doing Mardi Gras,” he said. “Tickets are on sale right now for that.”

The BYM's 22nd annual Mardi Gras is on tap for Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025, Heck said.

The party historically is a welcome homecoming for community members who flock to revel in the festive, colorful atmosphere, mingle with friends and neighbors, dance to wonderful Zydeco and traditional Big Easy sounds, grab a taste of NOLA and all for a fantastic cause.

“We expect 600 guests,” Reublin said. “Tickets are $75.

“You can get a table of four for $350,” she explained. “A table of eight for $650 and corporate sponsorships are $1,000.”

And indeed, yes. Mardi Gras is the BYM's only fund raiser.

“We don't ask for donations any other time of the year except for Mardi Gras,” Reublin said. “If it weren't for this event, we couldn't do what we do.

“It brings in anywhere from $70,000 to last year's $100,000,” she continued. “That goes a long way toward helping to keep the cost of visiting the museum as low as it is. If people had to pay the cost of admission for what it costs to keep the museum open they'd pay $17 per person to get in. So we're grateful to our community, our supporters and partners. Especially for the Malden Lions Club, who do so much for us.

Reublin noted the final results from 2024's Pancakes with Santa were:1,070 guests from 22 Missouri and 5 Arkansas towns; 442 Malden residents; 628 non-residents; 1,025 gifts selected in the Kids Only Gift Shop; 469 Photos of children; 469 gifts given to children from Santa; 268 printed photos for families; 45.5 Pounds of Pancake Mix; 190 cups of Hot Chocolate (we didn't count the marshmallows!?!); 400 Donuts; 125 cups of orange juice; 180 whole milk; 66 Volunteers (58 volunteers Day of event); 203 volunteer hours the day of the event; 88 hours of volunteer decorating labor; 64 of 75 T-shirts given away; Partners: Malden Lions Club and Toys for Tots; and 10 donors of cash or gifts for the Kids Only Gift Shop.