Wiegand's Easter Egg Hunt to Benefit Muscular Dystrophy Association

Sharpen your sight, kids. On April 16 and 17, will host its 16th annual Easter egg hunt. The hunt is open to kids and adults of all ages and proceeds benefit the Muscular Dystrophy Association to help provide medical clinics, support groups, research, equipment loans and children’s summer camps for those whose lives have been touched by muscular dystrophy and other neuromuscular diseases.

“The MDA raises money, $1 at a time, by reaching out to the local communities for support,” said Natalie Fotias, MDA fund-raising coordinator. “We rely on the community.”

Wendy Wiegand said the nursery chose to donate the proceeds to the MDA because it was local and she knew they needed the help. They kicked off their first spring with an Easter egg hunt 16 years ago and have been donating to the MDA ever since. It is also a perfect avenue for donations because it is a children’s event, she said.

“Unfortunately, most of our patients are children,” Fotias said. “The families really like to be involved and support the different fund-raisers because they love to see people in the community helping to raise awareness and funds for their kids.”

From 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., for a $7 donation, children of all ages can participate in the Easter egg hunt. The Easter Bunny and Tootsie the Clown will also be attending, so parents are encouraged to bring their cameras. There will be face-painters, hot dogs for lunch and a 50-foot bouncy caterpillar. Kids can also hold and pet baby bunnies and chicks.

“For older kids, the decoration station is always popular,” Wiegand said. “Because they get to decorate a terra-cotta pot and plant a pansy in it.”

She said that the freshly made doughnuts provided at the event are the most popular among adults.

“Everybody has their own different taste for why they come,” she said.

Each year, between the Easter egg hunt and the nursery’s Halloween event, Wiegand’s donates about $5,000 to the MDA.

“Knowing that we’re giving back locally, and that it’s helping local people, is rewarding for all our employees here,” Wiegand said. “Just to say, ‘I was involved, I helped make this happen.’”