West Nyack IHOP Serves Childrens Charity

Sue Brackett knows the stresses of having a young child with medical problems—her now-teenage son was born with kidney issues, and trips to the hospital were once a matter of course.

Her son is better now, but she's paying it forward with the help of Rooley Treeal.

Brackett, an Oklahoma native, has been working with IHOP for nine years, and is currently managing the new pancake place in West Nyack at the Palisades Center.

Her and Treeal, a server, have been preparing for Feb. 28's Free Pancake Day—which supports Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital at Westchester Medical Center—with gusto. Maria Fareri takes children from Rockland and Westchester who need specialized treatment.

For almost a month, the two have been collecting donation and selling balloons for charity; the paper cut-outs now festoon the IHOP walls.

"We've gone through all our boxes of balloons," Brackett said.

Nyack, Piermont and Rockland residents can grab a free stack of pancakes Feb. 28—from 7 a.m.. to 10 p.m.—while supporting a local childrens charity: all donations made will help youngsters in need of brain surgery, cancer treatment, transplants and other procedures.

IHOP aims to bring in $2.7 million this year, officials said, bringing the total raised over past years to about $10 million.

The Spring Valley IHOP will be participating, too.