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TCU 360

TCU 360

All TCU. All the time.

TCU 360

Students discuss religious topics in a small group. (Photo courtesy of tcuwesley.org)
Wednesday nights at TCU’s Methodist campus ministry provide religious exploration and fellowship
By Boots Giblin, Staff Writer
Published Mar 27, 2024
Students at the Wesley said they found community on Wednesday nights.

Annual Easter Egg hunt brings memories, community involvement

Families of the 109 are invited to attend the 19th annual Easter Egg Hunt and family picnic that is scheduled for 12:30 p.m. March 24 on Sadler Lawn on the TCU campus. The event begins at 12:30 p.m. with a picnic. Families bring their own lunches and lawn chairs. The egg hunt starts at 2 p.m. with the sounding of the blow horn.

The event, which is free of charge, is coordinated by TCU’s Alumni Relations department at and the Young Alumni Association, which consists of the alumni from the past 10 years.

Steve Lombardi, president of the Young Alumni Association, has been involved with the event since joining the association in 2006. Lombardi said that the hunt is an opportunity for the university to give back to the community.

“The relationship between TCU and the Fort Worth community will always be closely tied,” Lombardi said. “The people of Fort Worth, alumni or not, have shown a lot of support for the university over the years and this is one small way we can give back.”

Anna Ruth Overbey, assistant director of alumni relations, graduated from TCU in 2009 and has worked in Alumni Relations and helped coordinate the event for the past three years.

“One of the reasons why we hold the event is that it serves as a recruitment tool,” Overbey said. “We hope kids grow up knowing about TCU whether that be through hearing their parents talk about it or by coming to events here. We hope they will grow up wanting to attend TCU. We also do it for the parents who went to TCU and want to bring their kids back. It is really special for them. A lot of our families come back every year. It is a really sweet tradition.”  

The event is geared toward children under the age of 9. Children are separated into three different age groups: newborn to three, four to six, and seven to nine.

Overbey said there are more than 20,000 prizes including candy filled eggs, bubbles, rubber ducks, erasers, little stuffed animals, spin tops and more. All of the toys are separated into the appropriate age group.

Children have the opportunity to find eggs with a golden ticket. The golden ticket means the child has won a golden egg prize which is a pre-made Easter egg basket.

Donations of candy are provided by alumni families in the Fort Worth area.

 “All we ask is there is no chocolate candy,” Overbey said. “ It can get messy.”

The event is home to Mr. and Mrs. Bunny, both played by TCU students involved in the Student Foundation organization.  Mr. and Mrs. Bunny joined with Superfrog, the TCU mascot, will be available during the event for photos. The event also offers children face painting and balloon artistry.

Brent Folan, a member of Student Foundation, has been Mr. Bunny for the past three years.

“The duties of Mr. Bunny include greeting and taking photos with all of the guests at the event,” Folan said, “Everyone always wants to snap a photo with Mr. Bunny.”

“People should bring their families to the event because it is a great way to celebrate the holiday,” Folan said. “It is a fun event for all ages.”

“The event began as something fun for Fort Worth families,” said Jenny Cox, director of programs in alumni relations. “Enough people came that we kept doing it.” The event used to be open only to alumni, but has since opened to the 109 neighborhood. Families call every year to ask for the event details.

There are currently more than 1,300 guests who have reserved their spot for the event, Overbey said. It is hard to get an exact estimate because there are people who come the day of without reserving their spot.  Last year about 2,500 people were there.

“It is a great way to put on something for the community and gives our young alumni a chance to give back,” Overbey said. 

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