While many annual events have been delayed or lost entirely to the COVID-19 pandemic, a Shuswap resident is making sure the yearly visit from the Easter Bunny isn’t one of them.
Joanie Jesso recently moved to Shuswap from Northern Manitoba. There she and a friend organized school visits with one of them dressed in an Easter Bunny costume. Jesso wanted to do the same for schools in her new home. However, with schools likely to be closed through Easter due to COVID-19 concerns, Jesso decided to take her costume around the Shuswap to bring an early Easter treat to individual families.
Jesso informed members of the Helping Each Other Shuswap Facebook group, which she created, about her plans to go for an early bunny hop around the area. After receiving lots of interest, she organized visits to several group members’ homes on March 18.
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First and foremost, Jesso said she hoped getting her bunny costume on would be a way of taking people’s mind off of everything going on in the world. She lives in Lee Creek but travelled as far as Malakwa to visit kids.
“I know it’s a little early for the Easter Bunny but I know a lot of kids are concerned about school shutting down and all that,” Jesso said.
Among people who received a visit from the Easter Bunny was Sicamous resident Loren Bernardin and her two-year-old daughter Lily. Bernardin said she saw the way the pandemic was progressing and realized that most of the fun spring activities in Sicamous would likely be cancelled. She said she was all too happy to take advantage of an early visit from the Easter Bunny in order to keep a bright spot in the confusing times the COVID-19 pandemic has created.
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Although they kept their distance for the most part – except for one quick photo, Bernardin said her daughter has not stopped talking about the visit from the bunny.
“We are lucky to live in a place with such kind and generous people,” Bernardin said.
jim.elliot@saobserver.net
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