Children with diabetes hunted for Easter eggs filled with sugar-free candy Saturday at Sugar House Park.
The second annual Spring Egg Hunt for Children with Diabetes was held by the U College of Pharmacy’s honorary fraternity, the Beta Epsilon chapter of Rho Chi.
Included with the egg hunt was an educational program for parents, educational booths, lunch and a raffle drawing.
“This is a great opportunity for kids with diabetes to celebrate Easter, and it’s kind of fun,” U pharmacy instructor Koby Taylor said.
Taylor presented “The Use of Technology in Treating Diabetes” educational program to parents while children participated in the egg hunt.
The program discussed new and developing technology for treating diabetics.
“The stuff [pharmaceutical companies] are working on is kind of cool,” Taylor said. “It will change diabetes a lot.”
The Rho Chi fraternity is an academic fraternity, open by invitation only.
The fraternity is made up of 20,000 members nationwide who are recognized for their academic success.
Third-year pharmacy student and Rho Chi president Josh Walsh said the best part of this event is making a difference for families.
“We have the opportunity to give to the parents,” Walsh said. “Parents get information and feel supported.”
Wendy Gettings, the parent of a child participating in the event, said the event was informative.
“It’s great for diabetic kids to be with other kids with diabetes,”she said.
At least 100 kids showed up for the egg hunt, compared with about 150 kids last year.
Newsletters sent through the Foundation for Children and Youth of Diabetes were sent out to 295 families announcing the egg hunt.
The event cost $5 per person, which covered the lunch and a T-shirt for the child.
“Unfortunately, we were not able to cover the entire cost of the event in donations,” Walsh said.
Small toys, sugar-free candy and raffle tickets were found inside the eggs, which were exchanged for larger prizes, including stuffed animals, toys, kites and foam planes.
Faculty adviser and Rho Chi supervisor Freddy Creekmore said the College of Pharmacy plans to hold the event next year.
“[We’re] giving the opportunity for diabetic children to enjoy an egg hunt and other spring activities,” Creekmore said. “These children can participate with children just like them that are absolutely normal,” he said.
College of Pharmacy Dean John Mauger contributed his gratitude toward the students.
“I’m very proud of our student organizations,” Mauger said. “[This event] fills a niche that’s needed.”