Palatine senior spreads Easter joy to kids in her apartment complex with egg hunt

Posted April 08, 2021 6:00 am

Paul Valade

Children look over their eggs during an egg hunt held by Palatine resident Colleen Boncosky. Courtesy of Katie McGrath

Palatine resident Colleen Boncosky knows how to love her neighbor. The 70-year-old has a history of helping out families in her Winchester Hills apartment complex. This year for Easter, she purchased 450 plastic eggs and filled them with treats. She hid them outside of the multi-building complex and invited children of all ages to an egg hunt on Saturday, April 3. It was the first year she organized an egg hunt and she estimates around 30 children participated.

Palatine resident Colleen Boncosky shouts out to kids from her balcony during her Easter egg hunt for kids in her apartment complex on April 3. Courtesy of Katie McGrath

"Doing nice things for others feeds my spirit. I wanted to bring some joy to the kids whose activities have been limited because of the COVID-19 pandemic," Boncosky said. "Who doesn't love hunting for a golden egg?"

Boncosky's sister Katie McGrath of Ridgeway, Wisconsin, says she (Boncosky) is "always helping others and never asks for help herself. (She is) a very kind soul who has been through a lot of challenges and has done so many kind things for her neighbors, family and friends."

A young neighbor of Palatine resident Colleen Boncosky shows off his eggs. Courtesy of Katie McGrath

Besides the egg hunt, Boncosky has purchased bicycles for children and looks after an 80-year-old woman who has Alzheimer's disease.

"We all need to take care of the people in our communities," Boncosky said. "A small gesture of kindness could inspire others to do something kind in turn."

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