FT. WAINWRIGHT, Alaska - With several feet of snow on the ground and temperatures still well below freezing, it may not seem like spring, or the right time for an Easter egg hunt, but that did not stop Medical Department Activity -- Alaska from opening the doors of Bassett Army Community Hospital March 30 for the 6th Annual "Hop into Spring" Easter Jamboree.
The jamboree, which began as a small family readiness group activity about eight years ago, saw just over 800 community members through the doors over the course of four hours, to participate in activities such as Easter egg hunts, crafts, face-painting and health information.
According to Maj. Douglas Erdley, officer in charge for the jamboree, the goal of the event was to provide an opportunity for community members to come together for a fun and entertaining day filled with happy family memories.
"We worked to make the event a low-stress day for parents with their kids," said Erdley. "Nothing was so busy that parents were waiting in long lines trying to keep their kids occupied."
Approximately 75 MEDDAC-AK staff and family members came together to provide the event to the community as well as donated candy, prizes and crafting supplies. Additional prizes and candy came from members of the community, such as Jolene Lopez, who reached out to the hospital asking if they had a need for jumbo plastic eggs filled with candy.
"I love giving back to our military community," said Lopez. "It shows that great things can happen if we all contribute."
The event, which began in 2013 as part of an initiative to reach out to beneficiaries to provide health education through activities offered information on MEDDAC-AK services and other health education booths.
This approach, to reach beneficiaries between doctor's visits is part of an Army Medicine initiative to focus on the prevention of health issues.
There are 525,600 minutes in a year, and on average a person only spends 90 of those minutes with their doctor. MEDDAC-AK will continue to offer events and activities that focus on health in a fun, family environment.
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