Sarah McIntyre Springle Foundation to connect with community through an Easter Egg Hunt
Mar. 26—THOMASVILLE- The Sarah McIntyre Springle Foundation will host an Easter Egg Hunt on Saturday, March 30, from noon until 2 p.m. at the American Legion, located at 312 Hopkins St.
The event is free and open to the Thomasville Community and appropriate for children of all ages. In addition to the "old school" Easter Egg Hunt, the event will feature games, prizes, food, and a book giveaway. There will also be an opportunity to learn more about the organization.
The Sarah McIntyre Springle Foundation was founded in 2015 by Winifred Andrena Ellison, granddaughter of the organization's namesake. The first community-wide event to launch the foundation was held in March 2023 also at the American Legion. The launch event was a Community Give Back that featured games, music and food, and prizes worth over $2,000 were given to Thomasville residents who attended. The event served over 200 people. In addition to the launch, the foundation coordinated with Thomasville High School and Providence Missionary Baptist Church, where Springle was a lifelong member, and awarded scholarships to youth for college and career development. Scholarships will again be awarded this year and will continue to be a part of the work and mission of the organization.
Sarah McIntyre Springle (1925-1993) was born in Thomas County where she and her husband, James D. Springle raised 13 children. Springle tirelessly served her church and community and held several leadership positions in local, civic, and education organizations. The mission of her namesake foundation is to honor her legacy by supporting the needs of citizens in her hometown of Thomasville and also supporting underserved communities in the Atlanta Metro area where Ellison resides.
The foundation Executive Board and the Springle family work throughout the year to raise funds and awareness about the organization. They have facilitated a car wash, a women's empowerment tea, and numerous other funds-generating initiatives to support the mission. The foundation also collaborated with the Thomasville Juneteenth Festival in 2023 where members hosted a table and collected survey results to assist in identifying needs within the local community to ensure the foundation coordinates activities and services that most meets those needs.
"We want to host a local event in Thomasville each year that services the community and honors grandma's legacy," Ellison said.
When considering what to do this year, Ellison shared that she remembers while growing up in Thomasville, her grandmother would organize Easter Egg Hunts. She stated that this year's event is a bit of a throwback to the "old school" Easter Egg Hunts that channels nostalgia but most importantly illuminates the legacy of Sarah McIntyre Springle, brings awareness about the organization and keeps the foundation connected to the Thomasville community so they can be of service. As education is central in the foundation's mission, more than 100 new and gently used books will be distributed to children during the event.
