Awards, Campus News, Community & Events
Stampede Spirit Shines at the MaKami College Annual Pancake Breakfast
Jul
On the first weekend of the 2025 Calgary Stampede, MaKami College’s campus buzzed with excitement, not just for the sizzling griddles and sweet syrup being served at its annual pancake breakfast, but also for the community connection, support and celebration the event has brought with it for the past three years.
“There wasn’t a pancake breakfast this big in the Marlborough Mall area before this,” says MaKami’s President & CEO Marija Pavkovic-Tovissi. “There really was a need in this neighbourhood not just for the pancakes and the country music, but for a community event that brings everyone together.”
Behind the enormous crowd and the thousands of pancakes served, the event’s creation is one built on partnership and uplifting community spirit. Under the food tents, community leaders worked alongside dozens of volunteers to flip flapjacks. A nearby kids zone entertains kids of all ages with games, giveaways, a petting zoo and facepainting as mascots meander their way through the families.
A growing vendor tent area welcomes more community partners each year, such as the nearby Centre for Newcomers, SpecSavers, Country 105 and Guru Nanak Free Kitchen, whose volunteers rolled up with two truckloads of groceries, handing out food to those who needed it most.
Every volunteer’s care and commitment created not just a meal, but an experience that nourished the city’s spirit.
This year MaKami’s heart and hard work was once again proudly recognized by the Calgary Stampede Promotion Committee, with the coveted Stampede Spirit Recognition award. This is an honour bestowed to MaKami for its dedication to supporting local families, and for growing the event into one of the city’s biggest Stampede breakfasts.
“We’re incredibly proud to give back to the vibrant community we serve – from our students to the many families who call Northeast Calgary home,” says Pavkovic-Tovissi. “It means so much to create an event that brings people of all ages together to connect, celebrate, and support one another.”
