"When you see a kid walk up to the bunny, walk up and grab the basket, it’s amazing. They light up. They light up like a Christmas tree,” said Art Aguilar, vice president of the Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU).
Hundreds of baskets arrived on an MTA bus decorated with stuffed bunnies, plastic eggs, and pastel colored streamers. The children, ranging from 2 to 5 years old, some dressed like princesses, and others in homemade bunny ears, were presented with Easter baskets containing toys, candy, dolls, and school supplies after dancing the bunny hop and singing with real “bunnies.” The Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO’s Community Services Program and the United Way of Greater Los Angeles joined forces to give more than 2,000 Easter baskets to homeless and abused children around Los Angeles. Union members and leaders from various industries, including drivers, mechanics, and Teamsters, raised nearly $20,000 for the baskets, volunteering their time and money.
“We call it ‘From Labor, With Love.’ And that’s our motto because all the unions donate money to this…all the unions donated and helped buy the baskets… build the baskets. And it’s just showing that we care during this time of year,” said Aguilar. Armando Olivas, the western regional director of AFL-CIO’s Community Services Liaison, originally came up the Easter basket program in 1995. “Every Christmas and during the holidays, there’s an outpour of support for children throughout the city. So one month after that, I thought, ‘Why aren’t we helping kids throughout the year?’ So we were trying to think of a project that would help children throughout the greater Los Angeles area….and we thought of Easter baskets,” he said. He continued: “We were very naïve. I thought we would raise enough money for 1,000 (baskets)…but we ended up with 2,000 to 3,000 baskets. And it grew and grew and grew.” Steven Neal, the director of AFL-CIO’s Community Service Liaison program, said they’ve serviced around 30 different shelters and handed out nearly 2,500 baskets this month. “A lot of kids are from foster homes, victims of fires, and if we didn’t visit them, they wouldn’t be able to celebrate Easter,” he said. The volunteers said it’s the underprivileged and neglected children who keep them coming back every year. “The first time we came out here, the Easter bunny was in tears…and we’ve gotten letters back from children, living in homeless shelters, saying, ‘if it wasn’t for this program, we wouldn’t receive a basket,” Olivas said. Olivas’ son, Matthew, 8, said it’s “heartwarming” to see the happiness the baskets bring the children. “Homeless children get what they want, so they now have a good thought in their hearts,” he said. Glen Rosales, a metro mechanic for the ATU, said he’s been involved with the program for nearly six years. He said the event is worth it just to see the children smile. “We (went to) Miller’s Children Hospital (in Long Beach) and there was a little girl, maybe 18 months old with cancer… and she ran down the hall so fast to hug the bunny. You think you’re having a bad day and then you see something like that, and it’s all worth it,” Rosales said. Aguilar agreed. “When we’ve gone to the cancer unit, that’s really hard because you see how they’re going through their therapy…how they’re going through chemo. And they’re in total surprise to see the rabbit. And it was just so touching to see how a $5 to $8 basket is making the child just…light up,” he said. Leslie Gersicoff, a volunteer from the Jewish Labor Committee, said it’s gratifying to watch the children become enthralled with the life-size bunnies.
“To watch the children be so exuberant because of the attention and just be treated specially… I really wouldn’t miss it,” she said. For more than 100 years, the Children’s Institute, Inc., has helped children who have been affected by trauma in their homes. Whether it’s physical abuse or emotional neglect, the program allows for these children to lead normal lives.
Lizanne Fleming, the director of Communications at the Children’s Institute, said they are appreciative of AFL-CIO and the United Ways contributions.
“It’s one thing for the organization to give Easter baskets and toys, but this idea of having a city bus pull up in front of your organizations laden with gifts and Easter baskets and employees being volunteers and the ones to give out the gifts? That’s amazing,” she said.
She continued: “As employees, it’s magical to us. We drop what we’re doing at our desk. We look at the kid’s faces… (you) can’t help it. It’s contagious, you just share their happiness. The excitement when two big bunnies come into your play yard…it doesn’t get better than that,” she said.
