Sheer madness.
That’s how Mooseheart International Chief Executive Officer Scott Hart described what happened on campus last week. More than 4,000 people rushed the football field in a frenzy like no other.
“For a split second, it was quite scary,” said Mooseheart family teacher Melissa Zinke, who witnessed the March 28 chaos at the facility near Batavia. “But, it was really neat to watch.”
In a matter of minutes, thousands of children cleared out 15,000 stuffed eggs that volunteers gladly scattered across the field on a chilly Saturday morning.
“Each year it keeps growing,” Zinke said. “And it’s crazy, but in a good way.”
Five years ago, Hart got the idea to throw the community event. He was sick of taking his own kids to Easter egg hunts that lasted five minutes.
“I thought, is there something more we can do for the kids in the community to make it a fun event that lasts longer than just picking up the eggs?” Hart said. And, Hart had plenty of ideas.
About 500 kids showed up at the first hunt in 2010. It was a drizzly day, but the numbers were what Hart and the volunteers had expected. About 4,000 eggs were hand-stuffed and scattered across the field. There was a free hot dog lunch, and pictures with the Easter Bunny. No one anticipated what the small, do-good event would eventually become.
Today, thousands of dollars worth of candy is purchased, and more than 100 people come together to stuff eggs, man the hunt and host the event.
“It’s worthwhile when we see the smile on the kids’ faces,” Hart said.
Mooseheart Executive Director Gary Urwiler said the actual hunt is quite a sight to see.
“When you watch it from above, it’s like a human wave,” he said. “They just all come at once and they’re done so quickly. It was great to watch.”
The excitement, Zinke said, is overwhelming.
“I think it’s hilarious to see their eyes when they see the field. It’s totally different from a regular hunt to see the magnitude of how many eggs are out there,” she said. “The whole entire football field is covered, literally covered.”
Zinke predicts that the egg count at the hunt will continue to grow, which is the entire goal.
“It’s amazing to realize we’re getting the Mooseheart name out there,” Zinke said. “A lot of people will say they saw the sign, but didn’t know what Mooseheart was.”
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What Mooseheart is is an educational and residential facility that provides a home to children and teens in need. Employees care for kids from infancy through high school, providing them with a safe environment to grow and develop. According to Mooseheart, some children have lost one or both parents and others are from environments not conducive to a healthy childhood.
After they heard about the Mooseheart mission, several families inquired about giving a donation, Zinke said.
“I said, that’s awesome, you can. But this is a free thing and we want you to enjoy it and understand what Mooseheart is,” she said.
And as long as the people keep coming, Hart will keep adding to the event.
This year there was a petting zoo and a tram ride, face painting and free lunch for all. There were bounce houses and Easter Bunny pictures.
“We want it to be more than a couple minutes picking up eggs,” Hart said. “How much fun is it to do that and get in the car to go home? We want people to come out and experience time together as a family. We want it to be more than two minutes of chaos.”