Claire Gibney and her mom Natalie search for eggs at last year’s Easter Egg Hunt at Shades Mountain Baptist Church.By Anne Ruisi
For the second consecutive year, Shades Mountain Baptist Church is holding an Easter Egg Hunt for people with disabilities.
The event, on April 8 from 9:30 a.m. to noon, is open to children and adults of all ages, said Amy Kirby, the church’s special needs minister.
“We try to support families and make their lives easier and fun,” Kirby said.
The event is unusual in that many egg hunts aren’t geared for people with disabilities. People who use wheelchairs, for example, might not be able to maneuver on grass in a park. The church’s event will be held inside its facility and opens a door to accessible activities they can enjoy with their families. Disabled adults also may participate in the event, Kirby said.
The big draw, the egg hunt, will feature plastic eggs with a coupon that participants can trade in for a bag of candy or trinkets.
None of the eggs has candy or treats inside, as organizers wanted to be sensitive to people with allergies or dietary restrictions. So those who can eat candy can opt for that, and others who need to be food conscious can get the trinkets.
Two egg hunts based on age will be held, Kirby said. The first is at 10 a.m., which is for kids who are pre-kindergarten age to fourth grade. At 11 a.m., the second egg hunt will be for people ranging from fifth grade to adults.
The event is free and registration is not required; participants can just show up, Kirby said.
While the church had done smaller Easter egg hunts for people participating in its special needs program, last year it wanted to do something more for the larger community. For the first larger-scale egg hunt last year, 80 families participated, with 250 to 300 people, she said. Of those, 50 families had never been to Shades Mountain Baptist.
The church has run a ministry for the disabled for the past 23 years, comprising about 70 families. Twenty to 30 of those families are not church members, but they come for support, Kirby said. Participants now are aged 2 to 54.
“The thoughtfulness of something just for them, designed for their child,” touched parents, Kirby said.
The whole church gets involved with organizing and presenting the event, with volunteers helping out in different aspects of the occasion.
Besides the egg hunt, there will be games to play, crafts to make and door prizes to be won.
“We welcome anyone to come,” Kirby said.
While water will be available, the church won’t be serving food. There will be treats for sale, Kirby said. Hero Doughnuts & Buns will have a dessert truck on hand and Unless U will be scooping ice cream from the organization’s ice cream cart.
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