Brooklyn Park’s Colby Harrer Makes Difference through Pancakes

Twelve-year-old Colby Harrer started a pancake fundraiser two years ago in his Brooklyn Park neighborhood. He raised $300 serving up pancakes to friends and loved ones for an African charity.

“I really like making pancakes so I wanted to use my talent for helping others,” says Harrer. “It’s a good cause.”

Now Harrer hopes to raise $3,000. His family started planning the fundraiser two months in advance. The money raised will go to an organization called BIZAA, which stands for Basic Institute for Zonal African Advancement. The international nonprofit identifies and rescues laborers and trafficking victims through annual mission trips to Nigeria. They enroll victims in private, faith-based primary and secondary schools and hope to one day build and operate a technical school.

“To change the world does not take an adult. A child can do it,” says Okey Anyanwu, founder and president of BIZAA, who attended the Harrer’s pancake fundraiser. “What he’s doing today is saying get off your couch and go out and change the world no matter your circumstance.”

A Harrer Family Affair

Colby Harrer’s younger brothers also got in on the action this year. Quinton, 10, and Peyton, 6, helped by collecting unwanted toys and children’s clothing to sell at an upcoming Just Between Friends Consignment Sale. They hope to sponsor a child with the money they raise. The family also organized a silent auction with donations from local businesses.

While guests attend the pancake fundraiser, they can listen to live music and kids can jump in the bounce house. It’s a load of work, but the family believes in the cause.

Brooklyn Park