Tribune/Nathan Orme - Nicky Stevens of Sparks is the Nevada "champion" for Children's Miracle Network, a charity that supports children's treatment at hospitals and will be the beneficiary of a fundraiser Tuesday at the IHOP restaurant on Galleria Parkway in Spanish Springs. Nicky, a fifth grader at Bud Beasley Elementary School, was born with a condition in which his esophagus was not connected to his stomach.
Tribune/Nathan Orme - Nicky, 11, sits with his dad, Aaron, in a booth at IHOP in Spanish Springs, which will give away free pancakes on Tuesday in exchange for donations to the CMN. Nicky is the Nevada CMN champion, having overcome tracheoesophageal fistula as an infant.
Now a bouncy, 11-year-old boy from Sparks, Nicky will be at the International House of Pancakes on Tuesday to promote fundraising for the Children's Miracle Network (CMN) – and get some free pancakes, his favorite food.
"He used to take pancakes and put them in dog shapes," Nicky said about how his father, Aaron, used to prepare the food to make it more fun to eat.
"And Power Rangers," his father chimed in. "Pancakes were instrumental because they're soft and full of syrup and slide down easily," Aaron continued, explaining that even after surgery to correct his condition, Nicky has had a difficult time swallowing.
Nicky was born at Renown Regional Medical Center in Reno, which is the local hospital partner with CMN, a charity that contributes to care and equipment for children's health. When he was born, Nicky was treated there for his unusual condition. Now, Nicky has been making appearances at fundraisers to benefit CMN, including an East coast trip last year on which he got to meet former President George W. Bush. IHOP chains across America will be offering free short stack pancakes starting at 7 a.m. on Tuesday. In exchange, they will be asking for donations to the local chapter of the Children's Miracle Network.
According to Sparks Galleria IHOP general manager Kathleen Garver, the restaurant is preparing for a crowd of about 3,000 throughout the day.
"We have only been open for a year," Garver said, adding that this was the first time the restaurant would participate in the annual company tradition. "This year we are hoping for a big turnout."
Garver said that the restaurant's donation goal was $800.
Nationally, IHOP raises somewhere around $2 million annually with the event. This will be the free pancake day's fourth year.
According to Garver, all of the money stays with the local chapter of the Children's Miracle Network. This chapter serves all of northern Nevada and parts of northeastern California.
Garver was expecting an onslaught Tuesday, and she was scheduling her staff accordingly, with three servers, five cooks, three hostesses, four combination employees and Garver along with two assistant managers.
And, of course, Nicky. During last year's pancake fundraiser he ate seven or eight flapjacks and this year he might go for an even 10 – with maple syrup, hold the butter.
While the ability to eat lots of his favorite food for a day is a treat, Nicky also knows that by helping CMN he is giving back.
"I just like helping people," he said.
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