(ROCKWALL, TX – April 14, 2016) Dodie’s Cajun Diner served up 2,300 pounds of mudbugs and raised nearly $6,000 for children with special needs during its Crawfish Fest at The Harbor last Sunday.

Each year, Dodie’s donates proceeds from the annual festival to the J.E.R. Chilton YMCA at Rockwall. The “crawfish cash” benefits Angel Camp, which provides day camp experiences like sailing, swimming, archery, riflery, horseback riding, and field trips to youth ages 5 to 18 with special physical and intellectual needs.

Cloudy skies didn’t dampen attendance as a sell-out crowd of over 300 people enjoyed all-you-can-eat crawfish, corn, potatoes, jambalya, red beans and rice – accompanied by the live music of Kenny and the Kasuals. Raffle drawings helped raise additional funds.

“It’s mudbugs and music for a really good cause,” said Mike McRae, who co-owns Dodie’s along with longtime business partner, Gabe Nicolella.

“The Crawfish Fest is one of our favorite ways to give back to the community. We had a full house again this year, and no one went away hungry. Best of all, we raised almost $1,000 more for Angel Camp than we did last year,” said Dan Keils, Dodie’s General Manager.

Staff members and volunteers from the J.E.R. Chilton YMCA made sure that platters of crawfish were plentiful and that everyone knew how important their participation was.

“We are grateful to Dodie’s and the community for supporting our kids. The Angel Camp program creates an environment that allows young folks to explore and enjoy new experiences with the support that their special needs require,” said Bonnie LaVielle, Executive Director of the Rockwall Y.

Angel Camp runs for five one-week sessions, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday: June 13-17, June 20-24, June 27-July 1, July 4-8, and July 11-15. To learn more, contact LaVielle or Angel Camp Director Melissa Cotner at 972-772-9622.

By Dawn Redig, Blue Ribbon News.