Aldersgate's Pancake Dinner Raises Over Nine Grand For Charity

The Aldersgate United Methodist Church surpassed their $9000 fundraising goal at their annual Mardi Gras/Fat Tuesday Pancake Dinner and Variety Show, raking in a total of $9533 by the end of the evening.

All of the proceeds for the fundraiser are used to support this year's youth mission trips.  Around 102 students and chaperones  will participate in service projects in Goochland and Christiansburg, VA, as well as Guatemala this summer.

 hosted the show. Local teenagers performed in the rock bands The Manhattan Project, Moral Sense and Half Brothers, which was interwoven with taped comedy sketches by the Aldersgate staff and the youth volunteers.

West Potomac High's and Bella Voce also performed, with other acts including a ballet by Malory Jackson and a solo performance by West Potomac student Leigh Palmer.

The event  closed out with a musical trio performance by reverends Dennis Perry, Jason Micheli and Andrew DiAntonio as The Supremes - complete with gowns, wigs and lipstick.

Following the reverends' performance and the announcement of the grand total, three members of the Aldersgate Youth excitedly talked about their upcoming mission projects and the night's success.

Rosie Vita, 15, Michaela Berkon, 17, and Charlotte Cummins,  16, said that the reverends' performance had been the best - backed up by a resounding standing ovation.

The girls spoke excitedly about their upcoming trip to Guatemala - Cummins' and Berkon's second mission trip in a row. "It's really fun to meet the people," Vita said. "My favorite part is meeting the kids," Cummins added.