Drumm Farm event really did raise the room

Some parties really raise the roof, but the one hosted at Drumm Farm on May 1 took the familiar expression to the extreme. 

While the party inside the Institute’s gymnasium was boisterous enough to shake a few shingles, an act of God completed the job by delivering a brawny spring storm that shattered windows, downed trees, and damaged structures at the Lee’s Summit Road campus just hours after the crowd of 350 guests dispersed.

Arriving under the canopy of calm skies and warm temperatures, the crowd of supporters filled to capacity the event site, enjoying the company of their peers while sipping cocktails, snacking on the passed appetizers and engaging in competitive bidding at the silent auction tables. Veteran guests of the yearly event arrived donned in shirtsleeves and sundresses, prepared for the sultry atmosphere that traditionally envelopes the scene. The collection of warm bodies coupled with the night’s humid conditions conspired to make party-goers perspire at Drumm’s lively benefit dinner.

A haven for foster children since 1929, the Andrew Drumm Institute enables children to grow up with their siblings in a safe, secure, and permanent place to call home. Marking the 79th installment of the benefit dinner this year, proceeds from the poignant evening aided the Institute in providing for the needs of its young residents and students. Attending the dinner alongside the board members and community supporters are members of the Institute staff as well as many of the families and children who dwell at Drumm Farm. The interaction with the young people who will directly benefit from the fundraising effort creates an air of enthusiasm and optimism that is unique among philanthropic events.

Adding to the upbeat mood of the evening is the presence of Drumm alumni who live as testimony to the positive and affirming family ambiance supplied by the program. Excelling in their chosen professional and personal paths, former Drumm students remain an integral component of the Institute’s family and support system.

Following an Italian buffet dinner supplied by Ophelia’s restaurant, guests applauded the Drumm families and paid special acknowledgment to this year’s two high school graduates. Receiving praise from their teachers and foster parents, graduates Michael Lovelady and Steven Pollard impressed all in attendance with their academic and extracurricular achievements.

With storm clouds gathering and the sound of thunder rumbling in the not-too-far distance, supporters of the benefit dinner raced against Mother Nature at evening’s end. Efficiently vacating the grounds before the brunt of the storm hit, everyone escaped without injury. Throughout the evening as limbs littered the lawns and century-old trees were uprooted, as pieces of roofs were blown off, and glass panes smashed, the families and staff of Drumm Farm took measures to protect and comfort the frightened children. With the roads and driveways blockaded by debris, clean-up crews were on the scene to begin restoring order to the Institute’s daily routine.