The Newmarket Optimist Club is bringing the Easter Bunny right to your doorstep.
The youth service club is holding a first-time event to bring the bunny to neighbourhood homes for photo-ops and holiday treats April 9 and 10. The free service is available for 60 households in the community.
Spokesperson Cindy Crone said it is something joyous to offer children during a difficult time with the pandemic.
“We want the kids to have a positive, happy event, which hasn’t happened a lot lately,” Crone said. “We all think of our previous holiday celebrations, whatever they are, as very joyful events. Where kids get to interact and make those really important memories and happy associations.”
The club hosted a similar event with Santa Claus in November. Crone said it was successful enough that they wanted to carry it on for Easter.
“What I really like about this event is it is accessible to everyone in the community,” she said, adding some families can struggle to get out to places due to transportation issues. “Families in lower-income areas, families in higher-income areas, it was accessible to everyone.”
The event is limited to 60 homes, which Crone said is to ensure things run smoothly.
She said it will comply with public health protocols. But Crone said the club is ramping up more activities, with monthly events planned into the spring and summer, now that most COVID-19 restrictions have lifted.
“We’ve gone from very little, relatively quiet because of lockdowns, to now really full force going into the community and having events on a monthly basis,” she said.
You can sign up for the event through the club website.
“The joy and the surprise of the Easter Bunny coming, it’s not something that I’ve ever experienced as a child,” Crone said, “only so many kids get to have the experience.”
