Butler’s Best Buddies Eggstravaganza gets families ready for Easter
Butler’s Best Buddies Eggstravaganza brought Easter-spirited fun to families, helping to fund the Best Buddies program and bring peers with differences closer together.
Best Buddies is an international program formed with the intention of promoting inclusion and friendships between those with and without intellectual or developmental disabilities.
The Butler Area High School’s Best Buddies Club pairs students in one-on-one friendships and gives them both the opportunity to gain experiences they may have missed out on otherwise.
“It really gets students outside their comfort zone to learn how to interact with each other. It really promotes inclusion and awareness,” said educator and supervisor Kaitlyn Reges.
The event had various activities, such as a 5K race and Easter egg hunts.
The race started at 10 a.m. as runners looped around the campus.
The Easter egg hunts were split up into five separate age groups to allow every child to get some eggs. Every egg had a prize in it, whether it was a sticker or a piece of candy, and each participant took home a treat.
During the event, Butler students led tossing games for the younger children to play. Children could also visit with the Easter Bunny.
The eggstravaganza was almost entirely student-run, and not just by Best Buddies members. Students from sport teams, the Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps and the Spanish club showed up to make sure the day was well run.
“We’re very fortunate to have a really good group of kids,” Reges said about the volunteers.
Events such as these provide funding to the clubs.
