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Goal for Seventh Annual ‘Egg My Lawn’ in honor of Gina Montalto: 18,000 eggs

Gina Montalto. {Courtesy family.}

Jennifer Montalto, Gina’s mom, said the annual “Egg My Lawn” aims to bring smiles to children and families and ensure that “Gina Montolto’s spirit is alive and well and with us.”

For the eighth straight spring, ‘Easter Bunnies’ will deliver a combination of candy and toy-filled plastic eggs to participating homes on Saturday, April 19, the evening before Easter, as part of the mission of the Gina Montolto Memorial Foundation.

A victim of the mass shooting at the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in 2018, Gina enjoyed the thrill of the hunt on Easter morning.

“Gina was a born leader who loved bringing friends and family together,” Jennifer said. “This event is precisely the type of thing she would’ve organized and run herself had she not been taken from us. “Egg My Lawn” encompasses so much of what she valued; she loved celebrating holidays with family, she loved helping others, and she loved kids.”

Since it was first launched eight years ago, the program has decorated more lawns with eggs every year. Last year, 300 homes received a special delivery of assorted eggs on their lawns.

That means 300 families enjoyed this fun tradition that the Montaltos enjoyed with Gina every Easter Sunday morning. It also means more kids have benefited from the Foundation’s efforts. This number does not include donations to The Friendship Journey, Broward Health Children’s Wing in Coral Springs, Coral Springs Fire Department, and SOS Children Village in Coconut Creek.

“Honestly, the moment I look forward to every year is when all the bunnies report that all the eggs have been delivered, and I wake up Easter morning knowing that our bunnies are diligent not to disappoint,” Jennifer said. “From its conception, it’s always been the bunnies (our friends) that make it possible. The friends of our family who created the event and pass the torch from year to year to get it organized and up and running are the key to the entire event.”

Since its inception, the Gina Rose Montalto Memorial Foundation has been committed to awarding students with the cost of post-secondary education, as well as making charitable contributions to causes Gina supported.

In 2020, in direct response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Foundation introduced a nursing scholarship to help bolster the ranks of frontline healthcare workers, which they still award annually today.

Much like the Foundation scholarships, Egg My Lawn also packs the innate thrill of the hunt in search of hidden treasures. It’s a very visible event. Neighbors see neighbors’ lawns speckled with eggs and bunny tracks, kids laughing and yelling as they search high and low to find hidden treasure on Easter morning.

“The fun is just contagious and it’s secular in nature so everyone’s able to get in on the fun,” Jennifer said. “We do sometimes worry about the event aging out, but as the community grows, so does the event. More little kids are sprouting up everywhere and I think the older kids enjoy it even after they’ve reached an age where they can participate as “bunnies” to deliver and hide eggs while earning service hours.”

The community comes together for the event to honor Gina. High school kids and their parents spend weeks stuffing the eggs, counting the eggs, bagging the eggs, and delivering the eggs… sometimes into the wee hours of Easter Sunday morning.

Delivery is between 8 p.m. and midnight on Easter Eve. ‘Bunnies’ ask that sprinklers be turned off that night and that all pets be leashed and crated during delivery.

‘Bunnies’ will also leave a sign on the lawn to let neighbors know of the generous support to the Foundation.

“It’s just awe-inspiring and lets us know that Gina is not forgotten,” Jennifer said. “I’m always moved by the support the community shows me, my husband, Tony, and our son Anthony through this event and throughout the year.”

Many families post and send in pictures and videos of their kids hunting for eggs using hashtags. One year, the Montaltos looked into hiring a drone pilot to film the event from overhead, especially in the areas where they have dense populations of deliveries.

“I like to think that would capture Gina’s perspective as she looks down from the heavens and sees those smiles; she knows that she is responsible for each and every one of them,” Jennifer said.

Ways to give:

Order your eggs here: https://ginarosemontaltomemorialfoundation.org/eggs

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Author Profile

Faran Fagen

Faran Fagen, who teaches high school journalism, graduated from the University of Missouri-Columbia with a Journalism degree and from Florida Atlantic University with a degree in Education. He's worked at The Palm Beach Post, SunSentinel, and MLB.com. He lives in Coral Springs with his wife and two children. Oh, and his three dogs -- who all think that they're his favorite.