ALLENTOWN, Pa. — Easter's over, but the egg hunts continue and this one could be heard loud and clear.
Allentown Fire Department Bomb Squad put together a special search for the visually impaired this week.
- An egg hunt was held for visually impaired children this week
- The Allentown Fire Department Bomb Squad and Sights for Hope teamed up for the event
- The eggs beeped to make it easier for the children to find their eggs
Beeping Easter eggs made it possible for a group of seven visually impaired children to take part in an egg hunt at Trout Creek park in Allentown.
The city’s fire department bomb squad and Sights for Hope partnered for the event.
“When you have a visual impairment, life doesn't have to stop."
Dennis Zehner, executive director & CEO, Sights for Hope
“When you have a visual impairment, life doesn't have to stop. You just have to do things differently and they're teaching us that,” said Dennis Zehner, chief executive officer of Sights for Hope, a place that provides services and transportation for the blind.
Averi Heffelfinger, 15, was among those who collected beeping eggs.
“I like doing Easter events, but they're not always the easiest because I can't see the eggs," Averi said. "So because they beep I can find them with my ears. So that's why I wanted to do it."
She is among campers invited to for the event from Sights for Hope’s “Camp I CAN!” a two-week summer program.
'Kids just like any other child'
“Through our international association of bomb technicians and investigators, they provided us with these beeping eggs and what we do as a bomb squad is we assemble these, solder, we get all the electronics put together,” said Chad Ege, commander for the Allentown bomb squad.
Ege assembled the electronic eggs.
There was no candy inside the eggs, but Ege said participants traded them in for it after the hunt.
He said the squad put together and hid 49 eggs.
“Just getting out and showing that, you know, it doesn't matter what your disabilities are, what's going on, everyone's included, everyone should be able to get out and have a good time, especially on an Easter egg hunt,” he said.
Zehner said his organization hopes to continue expanding its programs for children.
“These are kids," he said. "These are kids just like any other child, they just happen to have a particular issue. The other children have other issues. This is a particular issue, but it doesn't stop them from doing things."
This was the first year Allentown Fire Department Bomb Squad and Sights for Hope held the event, but the bomb squad has done similar hunts in Bethlehem and Allentown.