Easter egg hunts for people of all ages will be held at Action-Impact, a nonprofit Christian youth organization located at 80 Vickery Lane in Elverson. The events will also include the telling of the Easter story, which recounts Jesus' death and resurrection.

Activities will begin with a flashlight Easter egg hunt on Friday, April 18, from 7 to 10 p.m. for students in middle school and high school. Attendees are asked to bring their own flashlights.

"Our staff and some parents hide the eggs in the late afternoon and early evening. We put a few dollars in some of them, and there are lots of candy and prizes," said Action-Impact director Dave Pershall, noting that one of the hidden eggs will contain a $20 prize. "Everyone waits to see who (finds the grand prize)."

Students will also learn the Easter story through music and a short film. "Our worship team is made up of students and adults, and they will sing a couple of songs and the kids can join in if they would like to - obviously related to Jesus and the meaning of Easter," Pershall explained. "We show a half hour of 'The Jesus Film' that goes through story of Jesus' life from the book of Luke."

On Saturday, April 19, beginning at 10 a.m., an egg hunt will be held for children up to fifth grade and their parents. Attendees should bring their own baskets or containers for the eggs.

"We put out over 5,000 eggs," said Pershall, noting that the plastic eggs will be filled with candy. "There is candy and lots of tickets for prizes - big prizes and little trinkets."

For the parents' Easter egg hunt, select eggs will contain gift cards to a local restaurant. "We give two $25 gift cards for lunch and a $50 gift card for dinner," Pershall noted.

Youths who are part of the organization help fill the eggs prior to the Saturday hunt. "We will get together on our big egg filling night," Pershall noted. "We also do some youth group games - to see what group of kids can fill 100 eggs the fastest."

There will also be a time for attendees to learn about the true meaning of Easter through the use of Resurrection eggs. "There are 12 aspects of the story. (Among them are) Jesus' going into Jerusalem, the crucifixion and resurrection," said Pershall. "One of our staff will display items in the Resurrection eggs."

For example, one of the eggs will contain a coin, which symbolizes the 30 pieces of silver that Judas was given to betray Jesus. "The last egg is the most fun because it's the empty egg. (It) symbolizes the empty tomb," Pershall said. "A lot of the kids know (about the empty egg), and a lot of their families do something similar."

Action-Impact offers weekly meetings for youths year-round. Meetings are held on Fridays from 7 to 10 p.m. during the school year and on Thursdays during the summer from 6 to 10 p.m.

The youths enjoy free time; games, including basketball or dodgeball; and singing, worshiping and Bible study. "We always have some food during the night. And there is some kind of activity," Pershall pointed out. "Usually the kids in the beginning part will pick their own activity for the night."

All activities are free, and the youth group is open to students from any area school district, including homeschoolers. "They often come not knowing each other, and they become good friends," Pershall said, adding, "Everything we do is free. Donations fund everything, whether it's (from) alumni or businesspeople or parents."

Action-Impact, which is situated on 17 acres, is marked by a stone entrance on Vickery Lane, just off Hopewell Road. The egg hunts will be held rain or shine. In the event of inclement weather, activities will be moved indoors.

For more information, visit http://www.action-impact.org or search for "Action-Impact, Inc. for Students" on Facebook. Those with questions may contact Pershall at dlpersh@action-impact.org.