The Francois Family

Saturday, June 8th, 2007 at 3:00pm

Come see the new house!

Zak Madelen said it’s all about the pouty face.

The junior from Blue Valley High School said he’d found the best way to get people to buy newspapers early Monday.

“If they say no, you give them the face,” he said.

Madelen was skipping school to help out special-needs children as part of the 20th Greater Kansas City Day, a day on which about 1,500 volunteers scatter throughout Kansas City selling special editions of The Kansas City Star to benefit Rotary Youth Camp.

The camp is free for disabled and underprivileged children from the Kansas City area.

About a dozen other children’s charities also benefit. Greater Kansas City Day has been around since 1988 and coincides with the Royals’ opening home game.

Lisa Spellerberg of Independence made her donation just before 7 a.m. at Emanuel Cleaver II Boulevard and J.C. Nichols Parkway. She said she has picked up a paper each year for the last 10 years to donate to charity.

Donations for the day exceeded $120,000, said event publicist Bob Sprenger. Final totals will not be known until later.

However, this year’s donations set a record, which Sprenger attributed to Monday’s pleasant weather and excitement about the Royals. Greater Kansas City Day raised $120,000 in 2001.

The honorary co-chairman this year, former Royal and Baseball Hall of Fame member George Brett, was up before the sun, promoting the fundraiser on radio and television.

Brett said his involvement with Greater Kansas City Day was cemented years ago when he visited a summer camp.

“After hearing the campers give those speeches, I said, ‘I will do this forever,’ and I have,” Brett said. “For some of the kids, it’s the only time they will ever go to camp.”

Other local celebrities also peddled the paper. Musician Tony DiPardo, Royals mascot Sluggerrr, Chiefs mascot KC Wolf, ex-Royal Jeff Montgomery, Chief Eric Hicks, Kansas City Star Publisher Mac Tully, ex-KU great Bud Stallworth and Jere Gish of KMBC, Channel 9, took to the streets.

Purchasing a paper turned into more than a donation for Kansas City’s Marvin Francois, who won this year’s grand prize after buying a newspaper at 63rd Street and Prospect Avenue on his way to work. The prize gave him tickets and a limousine ride to the Opening Day game, the opportunity to throw out a first pitch at the game and dinner for two at the Peppercorn Duck Club.

Francois, a Web designer, said his plans for the day quickly changed after he made two phone calls — a call home and a call to his boss. He planned to take his 5-year-old son to the game. Francois admitted his son likes Sluggerrr a little more than baseball.

The event, sponsored by area Rotary Clubs, the Kansas City Royals and The Star, raised about $75,000 last year and is approaching the $2 million mark in total funds raised throughout its 20-year history.

The Star provides promotions and donates all the papers for the event.

The 2007 Francois Family Calendar is here now. Like last year, it’s PDF but Unlike last year, this time it’s got a bunch of new tricks!

Random Images

• (Keep reloading till you find a set you like) It will try to keep as many of yours as it can, but due to filespace, and randon numbers you could erase a previous one.

Online Calendar

• By default you will get an online Calendar with the option to download.

Birthdays

• All Birthdays are attached to each month along with the age the person will turn

Family Tree Links

• The online calendar has links from the birthday people straight to their Family Tree page.

You can use the Calendar HERE