Easter egg hunt set for Saturday at VFW post

Thu, Apr 10th 2025 11:00 am

By Alice Gerard

Senior Contributing Writer

Three years ago, Autumn and Joe Spinella were looking for a fun and affordable Eastertime activity for their three children.

“Sometimes, it gets really expensive when you have a bunch of kids. You’re just looking for something to do. We decided to find something we could do for the community that is free if you want it to be,” Joe said. “We wanted it to be a family event, like a day thing, so it’s not just taking kids out in the car and putting kids back in the car.

“We started looking around, and we saw that the VFW was in need of some support because they were having some financial problems at the time. So, we said, ‘Hey, VFW, would we be able to have an Easter egg hunt here for the community? You could have all the benefits and all the sponsor relationships that would come with that.’

“We went ahead the first year and put that on. After that, we formalized it because we thought it was a really good idea. Everybody seemed to love it. We got a lot of good feedback on it. And so, we decided to make this more of an annual event, and that’s where we’re at.”

This year, the third annual Easter egg hunt, hosted by the Spinella family, is scheduled for April 12 at VFW Post 9249, 2121 Grand Island Blvd. It will feature separate opportunities for children of different ages to search for Easter eggs, as well as a variety of activities and food choices. The food includes pizza, which was donated by Say Cheese, as well as hot dogs and hamburgers, donated by Tops Friendly Markets. Tops also donated the water bottles. The festivities begin at 1 p.m.

“There’s going to be face painting, crafts and hair tinsel and hair braiding. There’s going to be little tattoos they can get. Lots of little toys around,” Joe said.

“Also, there are going to be golden eggs with monetary value,” Autumn added. “There will be money in there, from the sponsors.”

In addition, the Easter Bunny, whose name is Bow-Bow, will pay a visit to the Easter egg hunt.

“What’s very cool is, last year, we ended up spending a lot of money for an Easter bunny to come, but (this year), someone actually donated an Easter bunny for us; so that helps with the expenses, as well. Bow-Bow will be the new, every-single-year Easter bunny,” Autumn said. “What’s really cool is the old Fantasy Island (Niagara Amusement Park and Splash Park), this year, they are sponsoring, and there’s going to be cowboys walking around and handing out 250 free admission passes, as well.”

In addition to all of the other activities, there will be a basket raffle and a 50-50 split raffle, Autumn said.

“The big thing is going to be pictures with Bow-Bow the bunny,” Joe said.

When asked what he would like tell families who are coming to the Easter egg hunt, Joe said, “I would say dress appropriately for any kind of inclement weather or anything we might encounter, because we can’t control the weather. Just come out and have a great time. It’s a free event for all, and it will be fun.”

The event has grown in the past three years, Autumn said: “The first year that we did it, we threw it together in a week. We were able to raise about $800. And then, last year, we decided to have local businesses sponsor, so we weren’t paying out of pocket. That way, the VFW could make more money. Then, we ended up raising about $5,800 last year after all the expenses. This year, it’s grown a lot. What’s super cool is that, I did the statistics, and I looked online, on our Facebook post. Last year, on Facebook, it said 50 people went, and 104 were interested. Now, this year, as of yesterday (Sunday), 34 people are going and 151 people are interested.”

Autumn said she had many people to thank for this event, including the basket donors, the local community and the sponsors.

Sponsors for this year are:

Silver Egg Sponsor:

Sam Long Excavation/Landscaping

Top Notch Sewer & Drain Cleaning

Niagara Amusement Park & Splash World at Fantasy Island

•Egg-cellent Supporter:

√ Tom Rall Contracting

√ Certified Autobroker

•Bunny Trail Sponsor:

√ Double D Construction

√ LDC Construction Co.