A community Easter egg hunt will be hosted at 1 p.m. Saturday at the Natchez Youth Center. Everyone in the community is invited to participate.

The event began two years ago by my daughter, Dalphinie Firley. She organized the hunt with my help and the generous donations from our peers and different businesses in the community. They have donated bikes, food, drinks, water, Easter eggs and candy.

Two years ago the Natchez Youth Center was chosen by Dalphinie as the site of the Easter egg hunt because of the size and location, which makes it easy for the children in the area to participate.

We have three baseball fields full of eggs filled with candy. We have them separated into age groups. One field will be for 3 to 5 year olds, the next field will be for the 6 to 8 year olds, and the last field will be for 9 to12 year olds. Ages 1 to 2 are welcome and we will just have a gift for them.

Since my daughter moved to Memphis, I considered not hosting this year’s event, However, after a number of calls requesting that the hunt continue and people offering to volunteer to help, I decided to go forward with the event for each year as long as I am able.

People often ask “ Why are you doing this when your children are grown?”

My response is, “I love children and I have grandchildren. Also God has given me the strength, gifts, and talents to carry on this event year after year. This will be our third year and we are making it bigger and bigger each year.”

This event allows the children of our community to come together and mingle with their peers and enjoy various activities as well as build positive social skills. With all the negative things going on in the world, I just want the children to truly enjoy themselves and have fun in a safe environment.

The Easter egg hunt is not just about hiding and finding eggs. This year’s activities will include pictures and fun with Peter, the famous bunny rabbit. Peter will have a basket full of surprises to give away.

We have bikes, scooters, Easter Baskets, and toys, that will be raffled off to giveaway. We will also have a live DJ for entertainment. Everything at our community Easter egg hunt is free!

This event has been a success thus far and I pray this year will be as well. Each year we have a tremendous turnout with every child leaving with something. Each child and parent will receive a prize.

I have received an overwhelming number of donations this year to assist in making this event a success.

I thank the area businesses, the Adams County Sheriff’s Office and individuals that donated needed items and time.Each and every one that has contributed their time and effort is greatly appreciated for what you do time and time again each year to make this Easter egg hunt a success for our kids.

I am thankful and grateful, and I can’t wait to see all of you.

 

Sarah Firley is the organizer for the community Easter egg hunt.