Egg My Yard: Easter-themed Westland John Glenn HS music fundraiser gains popularity
Many parents know the challenge of planning their children's Easter egg hunt amid their busy schedules.
This Easter, you can skip the hassle. Families can now pay to have local volunteers to place dozens of candy-filled eggs in their yards, all in the name of music.
Here's how it works: For $40, Friends of John Glenn Music will fill 50 eggs with candy. Want to go even bigger? The more eggs ordered, the cheaper it is per egg. The project targets Canton, Dearborn, Dearborn Heights, Inkster, Livonia, Plymouth, Romulus and Wayne, and will consider other locations upon request.
The group supports music students at the Westland high school, and this spring marks its fourth annual Egg My Yard fundraiser, said Friend of John Glenn Music President Jess Harless.
"It brings the whole community together because our community loves the fact that it's students doing it and we love all the feedback that we get from the community and the positive feedback on Easter Sunday," Harless said.
Other packages available include 75 eggs for $55, 100 eggs for $70 and 200 eggs for $100. Friends of John Glenn will take online orders up to March 20, or until 15,000 eggs are sold.
The group starts preparing in early January by promoting the program through digital advertising, buying candy, filling the eggs, mapping out routes and setting up the eggs in clients' yards.
In late March, volunteer teams of at least one parent and 3-4 students will head to the clients' neighborhoods, with parents driving and students distributing the eggs. The process clusters homes into eight to 12 routes, with eight to 10 houses on each route.
Clients can customize their orders, with eggs distributed in their front or back yards, hidden or scattered. Orders also account for allergies, pets and more.
Egg My Yard events are gaining popularity nationwide, with organizations holding similar initiatives in over 30 states. A variety of organizations including real estate firms, farms and small businesses across the U.S. will be hosting the fundraisers this Easter.
"We like to say we're one of the originators," Harless said. "Every year that we've been doing it, we've seen more groups pop up."
More: Easter bunny photos, brunches, egg hunts: Your guide to events across southeast Michigan
The group took on the fundraiser from Deam4Adoption, a former Michigan nonprofit, when its leaders relocated to Texas several years ago.
"Since I was friends with them, they said 'Hey, this is a really good fundraiser idea, would you like to take it over?' and it just kind of happened," Harless said.
The fundraiser continues to grow, with orders coming in from as far as Pennsylvania this spring.
"We have families who sometimes get so excited that they go out right after they get the text from us saying we're done, and they'll go down with flashlights and they're hunting for their eggs," Harless said.
Local nursing homes also began implementing Egg My Yard on their campuses, sending Friends of John Glenn photos of the senior residents collecting eggs, Harless said.
"The Egg My Yard fundraiser is a labor of love," Harless said. "It's our favorite fundraiser, I can't emphasize that enough, to be able to get out into the community, to do things for the community that makes everybody so happy and the positive feedback."
Proceeds will go to the John Glenn High School music program, including marching band camp, fall honors camp and the program's awards banquet.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Egg My Yard: Easter-themed Westland HS fundraiser gains popularity
