The Easter Bunny visited Thamien Park on March 23, and left behind over 2,000 eggs for a neighborhood Easter party hosted by a group of mothers from the Rivermark Moms Group. The success of the party is a testament to the power of community, when neighbors come together to work towards a common goal.
“Two hundred forty children and their families came out this year,” says Elizabeth Morris, co-chair of the Easter party and a mother of three children. “I want to thank all my volunteers. We had about a dozen community members come to my house to stuff 2,400 eggs, color code the eggs by the toys inside, and prepare the favors.”
“This is my sixth year helping out with the Easter party,” says Maureen Medeiros, the other co-chair of the Easter party, also a mother of three children. “Every year, I get a permit from the city to use the park. I go on websites to find fun stuff, like trinkets, for the kids. The challenge is finding stuff that’d fit into an egg. We had so many great volunteers who have been planning this event with us since January.”
“The volunteers have done a great job and I appreciate them taking time off of their busy schedules to organize this,” says Vidya Maniyath, a neighborhood mother who brought her children to the party.
At the party, parents eagerly waited in line so their little ones could have pictures taken with the Easter Bunny by photographer Pooja Chauhan of Tia Photography. Other guests hovered over the tables where cookies, chips, cupcakes, and other refreshments were set out for the potluck.
The Easter egg hunt was the highlight of the event. Children scrambled to grab the plastic eggs, which were spread out all over the grass, and scoop them into their bags. Their parents trailed behind them and tried to make sure each child took a maximum of 10 eggs.
“This is my first Rivermark Easter egg hunt,” says Stanford Law, who brought his toddler twins. “I’m really impressed with how organized everything is. I get to see my kids experience their first egg hunt. It’s nice to see so many happy families with excited kids.”
“It’s great to get out here and to be with community members,” says Jennifer Nguyen, who brought her children to the egg hunt. “My daughter has a bag full of eggs.”
Not all families that participated in the Easter party are from the neighborhood. A Sunnyvale resident, Jon Lai was invited to the party by a Rivermark resident.
“This event is fantastic,” says Lai, who brought his daughter. “I see a lot of kids with full baskets and big smiles here.”