Easter Bunny visits DuPage hospital

Seven-year-old Rashid Bounds of Carol Stream put his arm around the Easter Bunny. Nine-year-old Isabella Katalik of Glen Ellyn high-fived him. And little Travis Whitman of West Chicago, 8½ months old, gave him a huge smile.

All three children were staying on the pediatrics floor of Central DuPage Hospital on Easter Sunday, and all got a dose of seasonal cheer when the Easter Bunny paid them a visit.

“I was so excited when they told me,” said Emma Sohst, Travis' mother. “It's definitely a bright spot for us today.”

The special visit came courtesy of the DuPage County Sheriff's Department and the Easter Bunny Foundation, a Florida-based not-for-profit agency. A total of 17 children at the Winfield hospital received visits Sunday.

DuPage County sheriff's Sgt. Randy Groh, one of the officers who accompanied the Easter Bunny on his rounds, said the department has been doing the program for six or seven years.

“I love it,” he said. “Just seeing the smiles on the kids' faces is amazing.”

The Easter Bunny visited the children in their hospital rooms. He said hello, posed for pictures and then gave each child a stuffed animal. A few slept through it or got a little scared when the Easter Bunny walked in, but most loved it.

In some cases, the visits were as fun for the parents as they were for the children.

“I think I'm probably just as excited as he is,” said Glendale Heights resident Kim Cameron, whose 5-year-old son, Joseph Roberts, gave the Easter Bunny a shy “hi” and shook his hand. “But it's so nice that they do this.”

Groh said he hopes programs like the Easter Bunny visits, in addition to making local children happy, also help enhance public perceptions of police officers.

“This shows that contact with law enforcement doesn't always have to be a negative thing,” he said.