First Posted: 3/22/2015
LIMA — Seeing the Easter Bunny for many children is a positive, exciting experience.
Still, for many other special-needs children, the experience can be scary. That is why the Lima Mall hosts the Caring Bunny every year.
“We do whatever we can to make the experience more low key,” said Lima Mall Director of Marketing Betsy Billingsley.
Many of the changes are hardly noticeable to most, but Billingsley said they can make all the difference in the world to a child with special needs. The Caring Bunny is at the mall from 10:30 a.m. to noon, before stores in the mall open and start to get busy. Parents can call ahead of time and schedule a time to see the bunny, making lines shorter. The lights are left off, the mall is quiet, and the children have nothing else to focus on except for their trip to see the Easter Bunny.
“The music is turned down and the kids have a little more time,” Billingsley said. “They have time to get used to their visit before they go and see the bunny. Normally, many of these kids would not get to see the Easter Bunny.
Billingsley said the mall routinely sees about 20 visitors in the hour and a half time frame the bunny is there.
“The parents really are appreciative,” Billingsley said. “We had a lady from Troy bring her special-needs children today, so they come from a pretty wide area.”
Complete with their visit, the children had pictures with the Easter Bunny, received an egg, coloring book and other Easter goodies, and all left with smiles on their faces.
If there were any question to the success of the event, one only had to watch children such as 8-year-old Cody Wooddell on his visit. Cody slowly walked up to the bunny, felt his fur and long floppy ears, and smiled after remarking on how soft and fuzzy he was.
Superior Federal Credit Union sponsored the Easter Bunny’s visit. Billinglsey said that a Caring Santa Claus is also hosted during the Christmas season.
