TEXARKANA, Texas - The Easter Bunny will get a little help this year from the Literacy Council of Bowie and Miller Counties.
The Council's Easter EGGcitement fundraiser lets supporters buy 25 candy-filled plastic eggs for $50 or 50 for $100, with proceeds benefiting local literacy, language and life skills education efforts.
Volunteers will deliver the eggs April 3, the night before Easter, and recipients can choose to have them scattered on their front yard for a hunt the next day. March 26 is the deadline to order eggs.
"All our Easter Bunny helpers will come together, and we'll have all the packages ready to go," said Jenny Walker, the Council's executive director.
Fundraising is especially important to the Council this year because the COVID-19 pandemic caused cancellation of its main annual fundraiser, a corporate spelling bee, last spring.
This year's bee is tentatively scheduled for sometime in May and likely will take place virtually, online. The Council is exploring ways to conduct related activities such as a silent auction and costume contest via internet.
"We have to make this one amazing, because we have some lost time to make up for," Walker said.
A membership drive will continue through March, and proceeds will fund the Council's cost of basic operations.
"People like to fund projects, and they don't necessarily like to fund electric bills. So the membership drive is really important for us to keep our doors open," Walker said.
The Council is close to outgrowing its space at 4014 Summerhill Road but needs money to move someplace with more room, she said.
The Council's spring classes include GED preparation, adult basic education, Spanish for English speakers, creative writing, and arts and crafts. English as a second language classes for Spanish speakers are especially popular this year, Walker said.
The pandemic has caused the Council to become creative in how it delivers services, with many classes moving online.
(For more information, contact the Literacy Council of Bowie and Miller Counties at 903-255-7733 or literacytxk.org.)