Velma Scarborough was walking through the lobby of Prestige Senior Living Friday morning and a group of strangers caught her eye.

A group of high school students tucked into the corner of a meeting room  filling plastic Easter eggs with small pieces of chocolate captivated her and before she knew it she was part of the conversation and the assembly team.

Getting to work with the young people, said the Prestige resident, was a treat.

“I saw what they were doing and thought that I’d stick my head in,” said Scarborough after discovering the annual Kiwanis tradition of preparing 10,000 eggs for the community Easter Egg Hunt which begins at 11 a.m. today. “I don’t know if I’m much help, but I enjoy being around the young people.

“They welcomed me in to sit here and be a part of their group and I didn’t have anything else going on. It’s doing something good.”

Filling the 10,000 plastic eggs – of varying color and even design – took not only Kiwanis members but the East Union High School Kiwins club as well as a group from Valley CAPS. Large plastic trash bags started to fill up as the morning went on but the supplies seemed to be never ending for those tasked with popping in the chocolate and other candies.

 But according to Kiwanis event chairman George Montross, Friday’s volunteer effort is just the last in a long line of steps required to bring the community tradition to fruition.

It took two months to plan the event and line up the businesses needed to purchase the supplies and get everything ready before Saturday’s big dash. Casino Real, Montross said, was the big sponsor this year while Prestige Senior Living provided use of their facility once again.

“It takes all of this time to put it together and get everything done this morning and it’s done in just 90 seconds,” he said. “But that’s what it’s all about – watching the kids out there having fun. Some kids might not have an Easter event at home so this is their one big event and we want to make it something that’s special to them.”

And the end result wasn’t lost on East Union sophomore Matthew Aurey.

Representing the Kiwins, Aurey – who joined club mates Monty Walker and Tyana Kendrick at a table – said he knew that the eggs he was preparing were going to end up making a kid smile the following morning when they set out to fill their basket.

Doing something good for the community, he said, is what the group is all about.

“It’s nice to see the excitement on the kids’ faces,” Aurey said. “And it’s good to know that our hard work will play a big part in their happiness. You know that it’s going to be more to them than just a piece of candy in plastic.”