Hundreds of people attended the annual Jefferson City Council for Drug Free Youth Ice Cream Social on Monday afternoon.
The event, in its 12th year, helps pay costs associated with youth programs the organization sponsors, Director Joy Sweeney said. Those costs include directors; the cost of taking buses to and from events at schools; and T-shirts.
However, it was also a chance for some of the organization's groups to show off in front of family.
"It's an opportunity for the whole community to see our performance groups," Sweeney said. "There's a lot of hoopla."
The organization's youth groups - Safety Kids, Show Me Players and UPLIFT (Underage Prevention Leadership Involvement for Teens) - usually only perform at schools. So, their families don't get to see them, Sweeney said.
However, on Monday, Safety Kids and Show Me Players sang danced and acted in front of about 200 people in the Capital Mall Center Court.
The social is one of the organization's largest fundraisers. In
addition to the social, CDFY receives support from the United Way of Central Missouri, local law enforcement, businesses and philanthropic people in the Jefferson City area, Sweeney said.
The social itself required a number of volunteers to pull off. It involved cooking and serving hot dogs to about 600 people. Along with the hot dogs, folks at the social got chips, cake, ice cream and soft drinks.
Jill Hansen has organized the ice cream social each of the past 10 years.
It's grown so much that the council had to change venues, she said as she wrapped hot dogs with aluminum foil.
"We used to do this in a school gym," Hansen said. "It's nice to have it at Capital Mall."
As he stood dishing out vanilla ice cream, Cpl. Eric Gottfried said he felt a compulsion to help with the event. The Cole County sheriff's deputy said he appreciated working at the event before his Monday night shift.
"I wanted to help with the youth in the community," Gottfried said. "I've worked in narcotics before and I've seen the impact on adults."