“We plan. You play.” That is the motto of My Discovery Destination!, an organization whose mission is to strengthen families, build character, and foster creativity to all participants. 

Emily Hahn, the community coordinator for Kaysville / Fruit Heights, has been working hard this past month to launch “Ready. Set. Spring!,” a photo scavenger hunt which will run from Thursday, April 8 at 9 a.m until Monday, April 12 at 9 p.m.  The cost to participate is absolutely FREE! The hunt includes over 20 participating Kaysville / Fruit Heights businesses who have each donated a gift card or a prize for top scoring teams. Prizes include free passes to Cherry Hill, Boondocks and Get Air. 

Unlike other companies that simply provide a calendar for local family events, My Discovery Destination! proactively collaborates with local businesses and education organizations to create fun interactive adventures that build both memories and communities. Funded primarily by grants and local businesses, My Discovery Destination! was founded by Sharilee Griffiths of Cache Valley in 2017, and they have witnessed many positive outcomes from their programs including mitigating the symptoms of depression and anxiety that plague our youth today. 

“Everything we do at My Discovery Destination! is about strengthening families and building resilience in youth,” Griffiths said. “Bottom-line is we want families to spend quality time together so that important conversations can take place, bonding happens, and those all-important family relationships get stronger and stronger. Stronger families will lead to stronger communities overall.” Activities that the organization plans are typically free of charge to participate.  

Many of the adventures that the company organizes are “hunts” using the Goose Chase app. Examples include a Gratitude Hunt where participants post sentiments of gratitude and a Healthy Habits Hunt that involves activities around wellness and health. Some of them are big community scavenger hunts that involve local businesses and great prizes - like the one planned for our own communities of Kaysville / Fruit Heights.  

“It has been a pleasure to coordinate with the business owners of Kaysville,” Hahn said. “What a wonderful community to be a part of! The involvement has been HUGE and I think this event will really strengthen our community as a whole. It has been so refreshing to look forward to this upcoming event and others to come.”

To participate: 1) Download the free Goose Chase app to your phone. 2) Choose “Join a Game.” 3) Search for “Ready. Set. Spring!” or enter the code ZDZ97E and join. The contest is a series of tasks and challenges to complete throughout the cities of Kaysville / Fruit Heights.  

While it is a photo scavenger hunt, it is not a race.  Some challenges are worth more points than others and they vary in difficulty. The teams with the most points will win prizes. 

“The bulk of the list will be provided on the first day of the scavenger hunt,” Hahn said. “A few other tasks will trickle in throughout the span of the 5-day hunt. Trivia questions about Kaysville history will also be thrown into the mix. Each participating store or small business will have their own task included. Public parks and facilities will be incorporated. The majority of these photos will be taken outdoors, but various stores will have an indoor challenge. In this case, you will need to be aware of business hours, varying the level of difficulty between tasks. On the final day of the scavenger hunt, a photo booth will be available as one of your ‘stops.’ We will take your family's photo and post them online along with the final results.”

The best way to stay updated on the hunt, shout out to the wonderful businesses participating, and see the fun photos of all of the families who participated in the photo booth stop is to join the Facebook group “Discover Family Fun Kaysville.” Winners will be announced in this group Tuesday, April 13. You can also visit the website www.mydiscoverydestination.com.