In the South Wing of the Convocation Center, children and families piled into the large, multi-room conference center. As they signed in at the greeting table, the children were seen bouncing up and down with excitement (and sugar). They were greeted with colorful tables, activities, free drinks and snacks, Kidz Bop blasted in the background, and, most importantly, the Easter Bunny himself.

As the large crowd of about one hundred people filtered their way into the room throughout the first hour, PennWest Cal students stood ready at the various tables with Easter themed activities. Cans were set up to get knocked down, potato sacks were ready to be raced with, and colorful, candy-filled plastic eggs were at arms’ length the entire time. Children followed the Easter Bunny constantly, looking up at him for the occasional high-five or wave. Blaze, the Vulcan mascot, and the Chick-Fil-A Cow also made appearances. Kids could be seen pulling at their parent’s arms, astounded at the sight of a walking cow.

The student volunteers themselves were from all walks of life on campus, all coaxed with the volunteer hours it would provide them.

Madison Call, student lead and official event coordinator for Eggstravaganza, was busy making sure the event ran smoothly, but had a chance to speak beforehand.

“Yeah, I’d really like to have this event every year,” Call said. “It just lets the community children to come and have a good time and allows our students to interact with them, which is a good thing.”

Diane Hasbrouck, always privy to being involved in campus events, showed pride in her students showing up to make the young children of the surrounding area excited for the upcoming holiday. Officially the Associate Director for Student Development and Engagement, Hasbrouck wears many hats, but gives credit to the student body first.

“I just gave a collective call-out to all of the clubs involved here today,” Hasbrouck said. “Our clubs really value service. Plus, it’s always nice to do something for the community.”

Volunteers include GSS, the Volunteer Office, and PennWest Pantry. Even AKL helped behind the scenes with making sure the arriving families had parking. Call added that multiple other clubs helped donate the materials and candy.

Senior Ehryn McCann ran the all-important Egg Hunt outside of the conference room, and had a chance to reflect on her time with the Volunteer Office before the children required her attention.

“I like these events, it’s super fun,” McCann said. “The kids are really cute when they get all excited. It’s just nice to get to know some people in the community, they’re great people.”

This was the renaissance of Eggstravaganza after Covid canceled it the last two Easter seasons. Expect it to return, though, in 2024.