This year, Neighbors Organizing Against Racism (NOAR) will hold the third annual Easter Egg Extravaganza on Saturday April 8 from 12 pm to 3 pm at Union Park in Benton Harbor. The event is a giant Easter egg hunt for the children of Benton Harbor with children from surrounding communities invited to participate. Thousands of eggs will be hidden around the park filled with candy, money and other small prizes.
The event started when some members of NOAR noticed the children in Benton Harbor had to travel to other communities for similar Easter events. NOAR Executive Director Trenton Bowens suggested they create an event that was accessible to local children so they could enjoy an Easter egg hunt created just for them.
“Three years ago, some of the members of NOAR were discussing that the children of Benton Harbor did not have an Easter Egg Hunt of this magnitude in the community. It became one of our goals to make sure Benton Harbor youth never had to leave their city enjoy Easter,” says Bowens.
The first Easter Egg Extravaganza was attended by about 50 children and the following year saw over 200 children come out to enjoy the day. This year they are anticipating 300 children will attend with their families.
In addition to the eggs, there will be hot dogs and juice served to the families, the new Benton Harbor Squad #51 fire truck will be on-site and there will an appearance by the Easter Bunny for pictures. Benton Harbor Public Safety will be giving out free Smoke & CO Alarms and the event hosts also plan to repeat the bike giveaway this year, giving each youth participant a raffle ticket for a chance to win.
“Last year we gave out 30 bikes and over 10,000 eggs. The bikes were a big success, especially with summer around the corner,” says Bowens. “We anticipate this year being even bigger and are thankful to our co-hosts Sisters From Another Mother (SFAM) and Present Pillars, who have both been a part of this event from its first year, for working so hard to make its special for the kids. Our organization’s motto is Stronger Together and seeing what we all accomplish at this event each year just shows that the progress of Benton Harbor depends on strong partnerships.”
Diane Young, President of event co-host SFAM, says that partnering on this event is a great opportunity for the children of the community and provides a fun event for families to come together.
“Sisters From Another Mother organization has had the pleasure of working with other amazing non-profit organizations hosting the annual Easter Egg Extravaganza. Our goal has always remained to help build unity, trust and cohesiveness in the community,” says Young. “This event allows families to enjoy time with children, connect with law enforcement, the fire department and other city leaders. It is one of our many efforts to make our city a better place to live and work.”
John C. Sams IV, Co-Founder of event co-host Present Pillars, is excited about year three of this event because he sees how meaningful this has become to the families of Benton Harbor.
“This has quickly become one of our favorite programs because we are bringing together the community that we love and cherish for some light-hearted fun for our youth,” says John. “This year I am calling on all fathers to be a part of the festivities.”
The three organizations have been working to fund this event and are seeking help from the community to make it a special day for the kids. They are also reaching out area individuals, churches and businesses to make sure they have enough eggs, candy, bikes and other items for the anticipated growth in participation this year. They have created an Amazon wish list for anyone that wants to help and will also coordinate pick up any donations.
To visit their Amazon wish list visit this link. To schedule a pick up of donations of items email Trenton Bowens or Diane Young.
By Julee Laurent
MOTM Contributor
