There are a number of ways to raise money but St. Johns Stage Thespians have found a unique approach to go about with its “egg my yard” fundraising initiative.
“My sister actually gave me the idea, as it was something she had been doing for years with her mission group in Ormond Beach,” said St. Johns Stage director and owner Mindy Dushane.
The fundraiser is obviously associated with the Easter holiday, but what makes it so unique is that families in the community can pay for plastic eggs and the Thespians will then go and place the eggs around their yard for their children to then search for.
According to Dushane, the eggs will usually be placed at night so that they are there for the children to wake up to and search for the next morning.
Forty-six students from kindergarten to 12th grade make up this year’s Thespians team, which is up from last year’s roster count.
The money raised will go towards helping fund a possible trip to New York so the Thespians can compete at on the national stage, which seems like the next proper step since the program has found plenty of success at the state level in recent years.
That success is highlighted by them being voted Access Broadway’s “best debut musical theater school” in 2022 and 2023, having recently returned from a competition in Orlando.
According to Dushane, the trip to New York for nationals would be a much more involved trip not only because it is a further distance than those in-state, but it also involves the logistics of transporting not just the 45 members, but also the stage props that they use as part of their act.
“We’re just trying to get the word out anyway we can, because this group has definitely earned it,” Dushane said.
However, it is not just money that the fundraiser is producing, but she has also seen how it has helped build the bonds of the cast even more.
She has seen this most in how excited the students are and how they have really gravitated to and fully embraced the “egg my yard” initiative.
“A lot of our kids are going to dress up as rabbits when they deliver the eggs,” Dushane said. “It shows that they’re really into the magic they are creating for these families.”
The idea behind dressing up as rabbits is in case the children of the family’s yard they are placing eggs in happen to wake up or look outside the window and see them.
“It is a true community fundraiser,” Dushane said.
St. Johns Stage’s mission is to provide a safe and creative environment for students in kindergarten to 12th grade who have a personal interest in the performing arts.
