Accessible Easter egg field keeps kids with special needs in the hunt

This article was originally published in The Examiner on April 13, 2017.

By Eleanor Skelton
Staff Writer 

Beaumont’s First Baptist Church is planning to make its ninth annual community Easter egg hunt more accessible for the whole Southeast Texas community.

The hunt for 25,000 eggs begins at 11 a.m. on Saturday, April 15 at Rogers Park in Beaumont.

Children’s Pastor Melissa Johnson recommends that parents of kids with special needs arrive early and use one of the six handicap accessible spaces in the parking lot off Gladys Street.

The community egg hunt now regularly has over 1,000 attending each year, Johnson said.

All ages are welcome, from birth through preteens, she said. Five fields are broken up for different age groups to give everyone a chance to get as many eggs as possible, but bring your own basket for egg gathering.

This year, the church is adding one more field for kids with disabilities called “Special Blessings.”

The eggs will be placed around the perimeter, maybe about a foot in, for easy access when the hunt begins, Johnson said. She placed the “Special Blessings” field close to the handicap accessible spaces, not far into the park but close to the other fields.

“As I’ve begun to meet a lot more kids that have varying needs, either through our church or through the local therapy centers, I’ve seen that sometimes kids don’t get to participate in large events because physically it’s difficult for them, or if they have sensory issues, it can be overwhelming,” she said.

“We wanted to do this to make an opportunity for kids to be able to say, ‘Hey, I can do it, I can participate in that big egg hunt, there’s gonna be 1,000 people here, but there’s a place for me,'” Johnson said.

Annie Keierleber and her parents, Tricia and Paul, said that they are excited for Annie to be able to have her first Easter egg hunt this year.

“The world is super inaccessible,” Tricia Keierleber said. “It’s like you don’t realize it until you’re in that position. Even in America, we have a long way to go.”

Johnson said she thought about how difficult navigating a wheelchair over a grassy field with hundreds of other children could be for Annie and other children, and she wanted to meet a need by making the hunt more accessible to more families.

“I know sometimes just getting to the event is a lot,” she said. “When we get there, it’s shouldn’t be extra overwhelming,” Johnson said. “We should do all we can do to be sure we’re closest and can be the most accessible.”

“There’s a lot of things that we can’t do,” Tricia Keierleber said, explaining some of Annie’s travels and adventures. “It’s not that her abilities don’t allow her to, it’s that the world is not allowing her — it’s not adapted.”

Johnson also mentioned that the church’s new playscape indoor playground will be handicap accessible as well.

“As a church, we are always looking for ways to share God’s love with our community in tangible, family-centered ways,” Beaumont’s First Baptist Church Lead Pastor Dr. Christopher Moody said.

The park bathrooms and community center also have wheelchair accessible restrooms.

The egg hunt also includes a bike giveaway raffle for 16 bicycles.

Rogers Park is at 1455 Dowlen Road. For more information, call the church office at (409) 833-1426 or visit www.fbcbeaumont.org.