March is here, which means Easter is fast approaching. For many, Easter signifies spring, decorating eggs, eating candy, buying new clothes and attending Easter service. Many of the Easter holiday traditions celebrated today are deeply rooted in religion and culture. The Easter egg for example, traditionally colored red, is the symbol of the resurrection of Jesus. Although many modern traditions are ingrained in history, Wesley Homes has recently started a new Easter tradition.
Wesley Homes has plans this year to share its beautiful grounds with the community for an Easter egg hunt. For the last couple of years, our new Easter egg hunt has been anything but traditional. This unique event is open to visually impaired children and their families. The Easter eggs provided emit a beeping sound that allows the children to hunt for them on their own. These eggs are engineered with electronic circuit boards, batteries and telephone speakers to make distinctive beeping sounds. As a result, visually impaired children can use their hearing to find the eggs. This activity provides a sense of accomplishment and allows these children to participate in the joy of this holiday.
David Hyche, an ATF veteran, is widely credited with the creation of beeping Easter eggs as they’re known today. Beeping eggs were around before, but they were so expensive that most families were unable to purchase them for their visually impaired children. Hyche reinvented the beeping egg to make them more affordable for the general public. Hyche’s prototype was made from plastic Easter eggs and donated beepers. This first round of beeping eggs cost only $14 a piece to make. Since then, Hyche was able to drive the cost down significantly. Beeping Easter eggs are now available for around $11.50.
Dozens of kids came out to The Gardens at Wesley Homes Des Moines to hunt for beeping Easter eggs in 2015, and they’re returning on Saturday, March 26th to carry on the tradition.
“We do other Easter egg hunts, and we help him,” said local mother Demarie McCurdy of her son. “But this is one he can do on his own and find the eggs himself, and it’s really rewarding for him.”
This event is also host to seeing-eye or service puppies in training as part of their socialization training. Is there a better way to spend a Saturday? For more information and to attend this event, visit the event page here!
Photos and quote provided by KOMO News.
