White fur or brown, straight ears or floppy, the Easter bunny’s magic transcends age. On Friday, April 14, 60+ adults will report to work and many will ponder, “Where’s my egg?” These aren’t just any plastic colored eggs. They arrive by special delivery, each handwritten with a name and filled with confectionery delights.
Angie Neperud, a physical therapist assistant, is the bunny making the deliveries. “This gives me a good feeling. I like to see people happy and having fun, and I want to contribute to our positive work environment,” she said.
Annual Tradition
This year marks Angie’s 16th year hiding eggs. It’s a tradition she keeps alive in memory of her Aunt Margie. “She was a physical therapist, and she hid eggs in her workplace, so I wanted to continue the tradition in her memory. She also made our egg hunts challenging and fun when we were kids.”
Angie’s years of experience quicken her speed and hiding technique. Eggs always remain out of view. New employees get the harder hiding places because longer-term employees already know those secret spots. The filing cabinet, golf ball basket and paper towel dispenser make for safe hiding spots. Angie keeps a list so she can give clues if needed. Mums the word if an employee finds someone else’s egg.
Coworkers Love It
The annual hunt is a hit for the staff and a morale booster. “This is one of my favorite times of the year,” said Brooke Vaughn, PT. “It lightens the air, and sometimes we even get patients involved.”
Most years, the hunt goes as planned; however, there was one time when an early linen cart pick up led to two eggs escaping from the department. No worries. Angie quickly replaced them.
As Angie prepares this year’s basket of eggs, she plans to fill one in memory of Gayle Hall, the department’s director who passed away in February. “Gayle was always my biggest supporter of the egg hunt, and she always got a kick out of it,” Angie said.
