By Terra Avilla
I will never, not be impressed by the things our community is capable of. I will also never stop singing the praise of two people who we as a community simply do not deserve, but are so blessed by – Jeremy and Marshel Couso.
I want to tell you all that I can see Jeremy shaking his head as he reads this for the first time. As much as those two do for our little community they hate the limelight, but I just had to focus this week on one of their prime masterpieces – the Susanville Community Easter Egg Hunt.
I remember being a little girl, and every year my family would drive to Dillon beach to participate in an egg hunt. We were not from there, did not know anyone and they did not know us. Sure, it was fun. We paid $5 a kid to participate, and we left with a basket of chocolate and sugary goodies in plastic eggs.
However, any other community egg hunt pales in comparison to what we have here in Susanville.
Something I think the community is unaware of, Jeremy and Marshel pay for everything themselves. They are not sponsored by a non-profit or government agency. They do not get paid to plan and organize and stuff eggs. They do it because it is a need for our community, is loved by our community and they love our community right back. They never charge for entry, keeping the event truly accessible to all our community.
The pre-planning, stuffing, hiding, advertising, etc. they do with happy hearts, so that our littles can run around with their friends for free and enjoy a world class Easter hunt.
Which brings me to my next point. Our annual hunt is truly one of a kind. When you show up, whether it was pre-procrastinated or not, in true Lassen County Fashion, you are going to see people you know. Your neighbors, your friends, other children you have watched grow up over the past years.
One of my favorite things is to scroll on Facebook and see the yearly pictures of my friends’ feeds and see their littles year-after-year at the annual hunt.
The happy faces, the sea of scattered eggs, the sense of community. It truly is one of my favorite events.
This year I was unable to attend but still enjoyed looking at the pictures of the cute children posing with their full baskets and the ever-cute “Easter Bunny” who also volunteers her time.
In one friend’s pictures, I can easily spot two or three other families I know. It has become a community tradition, not just a family tradition.
We are so lucky that we have good hearted people who go out of their way to plan and orchestrate these things for our community. They are a part of what strengthens our communal ties, and one of the reasons why I love the place we live.
