CELEBRATING EASTER, AMERICAN STYLE.Byline: DENNIS McCARTHY Dennis McCarthy may refer to:
Easter came a day early to Pacoima this year. It came to Ritchie Valens Ritchie Valens (born Ricardo Steven Valenzuela, May 13 1941 – February 3 1959) was a pioneer of rock and roll and a forefather to the Latin Rock movement. Career Park Saturday to visit about 50 young Hispanic children, many of whom had never seen it before. Oh, they knew all about the religious side of Easter. That was taught to them by their parents in Mexico and Guatemala from the time they could walk. This was different. This was the American side of Easter, where kids look for hidden, colorfully painted eggs, and this big, funny-looking bunny walks around giving away free hugs and goodies good·y 1 Informal interj. Used to express delight. n. also good·ie pl. good·ies Something attractive or delectable, especially something sweet to eat. . This is the side of Easter that Lynda Gomez and Lidia Castillo have been working hard to bring to immigrant families in their neighborhoods, families who seldom stray from their comfort zones. That comfort zone: staying with their own kind and customs, the women say. Saturday, the Easter bunny from America stopped by their local park to break the ice a little. Lynda Gomez was not ready for the question. When you've spent your entire life in this country, and have been lucky enough to have parents who brought you both sides of Easter, you take some things for granted. Like everybody knowing all about the Easter bunny. But, here she was, looking into the blank faces of women she thought she knew well, asking her, ``What's this Easter bunny you're talking about?'' The women were taking part in the new Family Club program at the nonprofit, charitable organization This article is about charitable organizations. For other uses of the word charity, see Charity. A charitable organization (also known as a charity) is an organization with charitable purposes only. MEND - Meet Each Need with Dignity - that serves below-the-poverty-line families in the northeast San Fernando Valley San Fernando Valley Valley, southern California, U.S. Northwest of central Los Angeles, the valley is bounded by the San Gabriel, Santa Susana, and Santa Monica mountains and the Simi Hills. . Lynda and Lidia were trying to crack through that comfort zone, getting the women to bring their children and husbands to Ritchie Valens Park Saturday for a good, old fashioned n. 1. A cocktail consisting of whiskey, bitters, and sugar, garnished with with fruit slices and often a cherry. Noun 1. old fashioned - a cocktail made of whiskey and bitters and sugar with fruit slices , community Easter picnic. ``I grew up with picnics in the park and knew how valuable they were in getting people together to socialize so·cial·ize v. so·cial·ized, so·cial·iz·ing, so·cial·iz·es v.tr. 1. To place under government or group ownership or control. 2. To make fit for companionship with others; make sociable. and make new friends - to relax and learn more about the American culture,'' Lynda said. So when the question - the question she wasn't ready for - hit her, she reached back to another much beloved holiday figure - Santa Claus Santa Claus: see Nicholas, Saint. Santa Claus jolly, gift-giving figure who visits children on Christmas Eve. [Christian Tradition: NCE, 1937] See : Christmas Santa Claus . ``I explained to them that the Easter Bunny was like Santa, a character the children can love and hug, and someone who adds to the religious celebration of the holiday,'' she said. Slowly, the blank stares turned to understanding smiles, but the mothers weren't done yet. ``But why the Easter eggs An undocumented function hidden in software that may or may not be sanctioned by management. Easter Eggs are secret "goodies" found by word of mouth or accident. They are also used in video games, movies, TV commercials, DVDs, CDs, CD-ROMs and every so often in hardware. ?'' asked another. ``Bunnies don't lay eggs.'' True, Lidia told them. Bunnies don't lay eggs. Hens do. The eggs were just symbolic - little chocolate gifts the young kids could try to find hidden in the park. The women understood, putting their names on the sign-up sheet Lidia passed around the room. They signed up to bring a potluck dish, or to paint those eggs the Easter bunny didn't lay, or to help make that Easter bunny costume volunteer Elisabeth Jacobo agreed to wear. The kids were busy playing games when the Easter Bunny slipped into Ritchie Valens Park at noon Saturday. ``It was like a Disney character had just walked into the park,'' Lynda said. ``The kids got so excited and ran towards it, touching and hugging the bunny.'' Then, they all went off together for an Easter egg hunt, while their parents sat and talked with their new friends from the neighborhood. All the while, they kept one eye on their children and on the Easter bunny from America who stopped by their local park to break the ice a little. For more information on the MEND recovering from an illness or injury. See also: Mend Family Club, call (818) 897-2443. CAPTION(S): photo Photo: Fernanda Aguirre gets her picture taken with the Easter Bunny (Elisabeth Jacobo) at Ritchie Valens Park Saturday in Pacoima. Joe Binoya/Special to the Daily News |
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