The Great Plains Balloon Club helps families

Great Plains Balloon Club members Cyndi Menzel and Lori Hutchinson present a $7,500 donation to Martha Hagedorn-Krass and Jenny Taylor of Topeka’s Ronald McDonald House.

The Great Plains Balloon Club presented the local Ronald McDonald House with $7,500 raised during September’s Huff ‘n Puff Hot Air Balloon Rally.

“The Great Plains Balloon Club believes in the work being done by Topeka’s Ronald McDonald House – it’s what helps make Topeka a wonderful community,” said GPBC President Lori Hutchinson. “We in the GPBC consider ourselves a family and we are very proud to be able to help the families of the Ronald McDonald House with this monetary gift.”

Topeka’s Ronald McDonald House provides a ‘home-away-from-home’ for out-of-town families of children and young adults receiving medical care in Topeka. GPBC’s Huff ‘n Puff has raised over $50,000 for the charity.

Huff ‘n Puff is held the weekend after Labor Day at Lake Shawnee. This year nearly 20,000 people came to see 32 hot balloons. During the evenings of the two-day rally, local and area pilots provide tether rides to the public. The club also donated food and drink after the rally.

“Much of the $7,500 donated comes from the generosity of those pilots and their crew who tethered their Hot Air Balloons, as well as all of the generous Topeka area residents who made a donation to get a ‘ride’ during Saturday night’s events,” she said.

Major sponsors for this year’s Huff ‘n Puff include Shawnee County Parks and Recreation, Cox Communications, Capitol Federal, Topeka Capital Journal/CJOnline, 13 WIBW TV, AM 580 WIBW/ 94.5 Country, Tropical Waterscapes, Flying High Balloon Services/JRS Designs, Propane Central, Holiday Inn and the Tantillo Family Foundation.

Also sponsoring were Kansas NEA, Logan Business Machines, RE/MAX, DeBacker’s Heating & Air, NeKan Mac Advertising Co-Op, Puffy’s Steak & Ice House, Walt’s Auto Service Plus, Dillions Food Stores, Carpet Plus, Murphy & Fruend Attorneys-At-Law, Top City Liquor, Capitol City Chiropractic, Baskin Robbins, Hearing Doctors of Topeka, T&M Financial, Hyatt Place, Pizagel’s and Hy-Vee, Custom Tree Care.