Gingerbread home to raise money for MMI

MMI staff member Angela McDonald and Jackie Ondracek decorate gingerbread houses.

Gingerbread homes have long been a holiday tradition. But now, thanks to an Omaha hotel, the Munroe-Meyer Institute will receive some much needed funding for its adult recreation program through the auction of a special gingerbread home.

Using the gingerbread home to raise money for MMI was the brainchild of Gil Cohen, manager of the Park Plaza Regency Lodge at 909 S.107th Ave.

“We knew we wanted to partner with a local charity and give something back to the community,” Cohen said. “In checking with our staff, we learned that one of the workers in the kitchen had a child with a protein deficiency and was going through Munroe-Meyer Institute for treatment.

“That made it internal, and it gave us a reason for selecting Munroe-Meyer to be our charity. Hopefully, we’ll be able to make a nice contribution to the institute.”

Intern Courtney Bell and Greg Bates.

Cohen and his staff came up with a two-phase action plan. In phase one, Jaime Hendricksen, chef at the Park Plaza Regency Lodge, would build 15 small gingerbread homes to be decorated by special needs children at MMI. In the second phase, Hendricksen would build a large gingerbread home and then auction it off with proceeds going to MMI.

“It’s been a lot of fun for our children,” said Nicole Norlin-Giron, special projects coordinator for MMI’s recreation program. “They’ve really enjoyed decorating the homes.”

Norlin-Giron said the gingerbread project is part of MMI’s Arts for Hearts program that began three years ago and is sponsored by the C. Louis Meyer Foundation. Under the program, MMI children make artwork and then it is auctioned off.

Proceeds go toward MMI’s adult recreation program, which currently has about 40 adults in it, Norlin-Giron said.

Andrea Stunmbaugh decorates a gingerbread house.

The funding could go toward a variety of activities such as chaperoned vacations, overnight wilderness camping trips, and day trips to area theme parks and attractions, said Michael Crawford, Ph.D., director of MMI recreation.

“The goal of the normalization movement in this country for persons with developmental disabilities is to provide as normal rhythm of life as possible,” Dr. Crawford said. “Many of our adults, because of the severity of their disabilities are unemployable or under-employed, and so without assistance with the expenses of trips and tickets and capable chaperones, they are unable to engage in the simple pleasures of adult life that most of us take for granted — the ability to go to a movie, or take a vacation, or use the state parks. We want to be able to provide the resources for those missing out on these important aspects of community living.”

Other adult recreation activities held by MMI each year include a hayrack ride and dances at Arthur’s Lounge and McCormack’s Volleyball Beach. In addition, Norlin-Giron said the MMI recreation program offers one outing a month for its teenage children with activities including movies, hayrack rides, Omaha Beef football games and University of Nebraska at Omaha Maverick hockey games.

The 15 small gingerbread houses were decorated between Nov. 29 and Dec. 2 and delivered to the Park Plaza Regency Lodge on Dec. 3. They are on display for public viewing in the hotel lobby through Jan. 8.

The public will be able to bid on the large gingerbread house via a silent auction, Cohen said. The auction will conclude on Dec. 20, and the gingerbread house will be delivered to the winning bidder’s home by the hotel staff.

Cohen said the large gingerbread house is about three-feet high and three-feet long. “It is quite a project,” he said. “Our chef has to build a box mold support structure, and then attach the gingerbread to the structure. It’s certainly not done overnight.”

The Park Plaza Regency Lodge also will host a post office stop for children’s letters to Santa, Cohen said. The letters will be delivered by the post office to Santa, and Santa will make a prompt response to each letter.

KETV (Channel 7) covered the MMI children decorating the gingerbread houses on its 6 p.m. newscast on Dec. 1.