On a breezy, crisp March 30, some 50 children and their parents gathered to find hidden Easter eggs during the first Inclusive Eggstravaganza for Children with Disabilities.
Sponsored by the Williamstown Sunrise Rotary Club in conjunction with the From We Can’t to We Can nonprofit, the youngsters saw the Easter bunny herself hop into the playground at Mazza Duffy Memorial Park in the township.
“Most of the eggs have candy inside of them, and there are some prize eggs,” Rotary member Harry Ross noted at the event, adding that the nonprofit’s leaders spoke at one of the Rotary’s morning meetings about holding the event, and “we decided to support the idea.”
Ross said it was appropriate to hold the event at Mary Duffy Park, which features the only handicap-accessible playground in Gloucester County. It opened in 2018, and was built and donated by the Sunrise Club. The $150,000 project took two years of fundraising, research and planning.
“It’s all hands on deck today,” said Derek Morrison, a member of the Vineland-based We Can’t to We Can, who was happy with the egg hunt turnout. “Our organization’s goal is to enrich the lives of children with disabilities and make sure they are included.”
Morrison’s daughter Trinity Jadgeo is the nonprofit’s founder.
“We are thrilled to offer another high-quality accessible event for children who are often excluded from such experiences,” she stated. “Why should children with disabilities miss out on essential childhood activities? They shouldn’t, which is why we are all about inclusivity.”
Jadgeo said the Rotary event enables children facing challenges like cerebral palsy, autism, and Down syndrome to engage independently, aided by adaptive tools such as magnetic eggs, pickup sticks and sensory toys that cater to dietary restrictions.
“Families with disabilities often miss out on capturing memories with the Easter bunny due to accessibility issues, overwhelming environments and extended queues,” she added.
The mission of We Can’t to We Can is to support disabled individuals through representation and financial support. The organization also focuses on providing inspirational, faithful characters for children with disabilities through entertainment and community outreach activities and encourages the disabled community to see the “ability” in disability through obstacles and triumphs.
For information about the organization and its services, visit www.wecant2wecan.org.
The Williamstown Sunshine Rotary Club meets every Wednesday at 7:30 a.m. at the Monroe library in Williamstown. The group also helps with the Monroe food pantry. For information, go to www.williamstownsunriserotary.org.
