With Easter just two weeks away, the Rosewood Miracle Workers Aktion Club coordinated a “Hippity Hop Easter Basket Workshop” for children on Saturday.
It was the perfect activity for a rainy day. Dozens of children came to the Great Bend Public Library to create their own Easter baskets.
Rosewood Aktion Club is an affiliate of the national Kiwanis organization that promotes service in action for people with developmental disabilities. The club allows Rosewood clients to be actively involved in the community and to positively impact the lives of others, said Frankie Pelster, club sponsor.
“This fun event allows our members to interact with people while also providing a fun activity for children and their families,” Pelster said.
The workshop was a good lead-in to the Great Bend Kiwanis Club’s annual Easter Egg Hunt, which will take place on Saturday, April 15. “This way they’ll have a basket to take to the Easter Egg hunt,” she said.
Vicki Ostrander, president of the Rosewood Aktion Club, said previous service projects included collecting blankets for the Barton County Health Department and coloring books and crayons for St. Francis Community Services and the Central Kansas Dream Center. More recently, she said, “We made Valentine cards for the nursing home.” Members also helped at the annual Kiwanis Pancake Day.
Saturday’s workshop had volunteers at seven stations where children could chose baskets and fill them with toys and candy. Then participants could sit at a craft table and decorate Easter eggs for their baskets and participate in other fun activities, like coloring Easter pages.
Donations collected at the door helped cover the cost of materials for the workshop. Rosewood Aktion Club is also raising funds that will allow members to participate in the Self Advocate Coalition Conference in Topeka this summer.
“We’re always trying to find creative ways to raise money for our organization that will benefit the community as well as involve our members,” Pelster said. “We’re grateful that the Great Bend Public Library has provided us the venue to provide this workshop.”
The Great Bend Noon Kiwanis club’s annual Easter Egg Hunt, which is actually a dash for candy, starts at 9:30 a.m. sharp on the northeast side of Veterans Memorial Park, just off McKinley Street, on Saturday, April 15. It is intended for children from preschool through sixth grade.