NorthShore Health Centers hosted their 5th Annual Easter Eggstravaganza on Sunday, turning Portage’s Boys & Girls Club into a fairground with bounce houses, photo opportunities, face painting, egg hunts, and vendors dedicated to improving community health.
The club’s two gyms filled to capacity as families filed in from a line that wrapped around the sidewalk and parking lot. Hosting events like the Eggstravaganza is NorthShore’s way of engaging with and giving back to the community.
“NorthShore is a community health center, and when you think of that you jump to the medical, dental, vision, and x-ray services we provide,” said Gervay Dickerson, Lead Event Coordinator for NorthShore. “We also want to do something for families, and just let them know that we’re here. This is a free, safe, and fun event where we can meet with the community.”
As a major healthcare provider in Northwest Indiana, NorthShore took the opportunity to educate about health and exercise along with some help from their vendors. They also offered on-site scheduling for any medical, dental, or vision appointments.
“This is more than just a family-fun event,” said Dickerson. “We’re here to provide a service to the community, and this is just an extension of it.”
Kids got a workout in five different bounce houses and games from Jumpin Wheelies, had their faces painted with Easter-themed designs, and took photos with Moana, characters from "PAW Patrol" and "Trolls"- and of course, the Easter Bunny.
“I think NorthShore stands by their name, they’re not just a service provider but a part of the community,” said Olivia Romero, a NorthShore Dental employee who came with her family. “Going that extra mile and getting all of this done for the kids is great. It’s a way to get kids out of the house and motivated. It’s a good incentive for me as a parent to have NorthShore help me out on that end!”
The event is quickly becoming a tradition, not just for the kids and parents, but the NorthShore family itself. The team looks forward to putting the event together and seeing all the familiar faces out in the crowd.
“We love it, it gives us the chance to let the community have a bit of fun and a safe Easter experience,” said Denise Carpenter, Lead Porter County Outreach Coordinator. “And it gives us a chance to give back to the community, because we really do appreciate being a part of it.”
NorthShore gave out 260 Easter baskets full of candy and various goodies to excited kids throughout the day, and their egg hunt distributed more than 12,000 candy-filled eggs to the dedicated hunters.
Learn more about NorthShore Health Centers and the services they provide at www.northshorehealth.org.
