Easter egg story      

[April 02, 2007]  How many Easter eggs does it take to create the biggest Easter egg hunt of Logan County? Ten thousand eggs, to be exact. And on Saturday, literally hundreds of excited egg-hunting children, baskets and bags in tow, will be able to enjoy the annual Easter egg hunt at the Lincoln Park District, thanks to the hardworking clients of Logan-Mason Rehabilitation Center. It also takes the great support of local businesses and organizations to make such a fun, successful event take place.

Up until 2001, the eggs were assembled by a rehabilitation center in Missouri. And Roy Logan, program coordinator for the park district, realized the best thing would be to make use of our very own rehab center. "Why not use the very same kind of facility right here in our own backyard?" Logan said. So he contacted Karen Deany and Marcia Warner of Logan-Mason Rehab and the new contract for the egg assembly began.

In addition to the rehab center and the park district, Maple Ridge Care Centre and the Lincoln Kiwanis Club help out with a big part of the contract every year to make sure that this great event continues. The Kiwanis Club pays for half of the eggs, and Maple Ridge Care Centre pays for the other half.

At the Logan-Mason Rehabilitation Center, the paid clients work on different contracts for local businesses. The contracts consist of small and big projects that require a lot of "heart" put into them. "This is one of our most popular contracts," says Karen Deany, developmental training coordinator. "All of our clients want to work on the eggs." The egg assembly takes about eight-nine hours total to complete, which is spread out over a period of several days. Each egg is fun-filled, with stickers, rub-on tattoos, mini erasers and, of course, candy. The candy is purchased locally at the Dollar Tree, Aldi's and Russell Stover's.

"When it is time to add candy to the assembly line, we order extra candy for the clients to be able to enjoy themselves. That is the part they look forward to the most," says Deany.

The assembly line is made up of separate tables with a bin at each, filled with a rainbow assortment of eggs and the goodies to be put inside each one. With Julie Hester, contract instructor, serving as one of the supervisors for the line, the work is just as important as a major factory assembly floor. The workers here meticulously care for each individual egg, making sure the end product is perfect for the children. And with such a beautiful sight of Easter eggs as far as the eye can see, in the middle sit the clients, working diligently until the task is complete.

"It's so fun," says Yvette Haywood, a client of Logan-Mason Rehab Center. "We're doing this for all the kids. And I love kids." When asked what her favorite part of the assembly line is, Haywood says, "I like the candy the best!" For these clients, it is the reward of knowing that they are doing something so fulfilling for the community.

To find out more information about the annual Easter egg hunt hosted by the Lincoln Park District, you can contact them at 732-8770.

To find out more information about the services at Logan-Mason Rehabilitation Center, you can contact them at 735-1413.

[Janell Woolard]