PLAINS TOWNSHIP, LUZERNE COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — Easter egg hunts can be exciting and fun, but for some children, it can be a bit overwhelming.
On Wednesday, a local non-profit hosted its annual egg hunt for children with special needs from across the region. It’s their first since the pandemic.
For the first time in three years, Brighter Journeys hosted its annual Special Needs Egg Hunt at Mohegan Sun Pennsylvania.
The organization’s co-founders, Bernice Sando, and Lisa Urbanski started this event. As parents of special needs children, they noticed that their kids would often get left behind during an egg hunt.
“We are parents of children with special needs, and when we used to go to Easter egg hunts, our children were kind of left behind and didn’t get anything so we started the egg hunt just for children with special needs so they can all have a fair chance and everything,” explained Sando.
The group was happy to bring the event back for the first time since the pandemic.
“We are so excited to bring the community back together. We have 996 hunters this year we have 30 vendors giving out the resource information. Teachers and the students are so excited to come together to finally be out after three years,” said Urbanski.
Maria Flynn, a caretaker at Trinity Child Care Center, says she surprised eight children with this trip. The kids could not have been more excited.
“We brought eight children today and some of them would not have seen something like this or experienced it and it’s a great opportunity for them,” described Flynn.
One mom says this experience is a blessing.
“When we go to regular egg hunts he can’t bend down and pick up the eggs but here they have more than just eggs things that he can physically hold with his hands and we were able to take the time to get down on the floor with him,” explained Amber Bierbach of Penton, PA.
Throughout the year Brighter Journeys goes the extra mile to support families with special needs children. They help by providing them with items they may not be able to afford such as special needs bikes, stair lifts, and more, making the families’ journey with their children brighter.
Anyone interested in donating or getting special needs equipment visit Brighter Journeys’ website.
