CLINTON — The Clinton Eagles Lodge is well known for its annual fundraising to help the Clinton, Kenney and Wapella fire departments.

Each year for about a dozen years, the organization has been able to top its previous year’s effort.  But this year, their fundraising reached some new heights.

“COVID hit in 2020, and then in 2021 we tried to do something,” said the Clinton Eagles’ Deanna Long.  “We had to do the drive-through breakfast and different events.”

The Eagles had a small event for the Daytona race in August, “and had a pretty decent turnout,” Long said.

“We ended up raising $40,000, which was crazy,” she said. 

In 2020 the group raised $37,000; in 2019, $30,000.

Long said after spending a tough year running a number of fundraising activities, “we thought, we’re never going to beat that,”

After the Apple N’ Pork Festival, in September, Long said the group felt it had asked for so many donations during 2021, they would give it a rest until the day of their NASCAR event in Feb. 2022.

“We didn’t know what to expect,” Long said. “It was just going to be one day and done.”

“But, then we raised a record amount again.”

• See the complete story in the Friday, Mar. 18 print edition or now in the Journal E-Edition for subscribers.