Hawthorne Village Egg Hunt Connects Community, Elders, Youth

Tony Escalera attended the Hawthorne Village Community Easter Egg Hunt with his nephews, Joe Escalera Jr., 4, and Adrian, 3, along with his mother, Gladys Escalera.

"Their dad is in Iraq and we thought this [hunt] was cool, so uncle is taking care of it," Tony Escalera said. "I want to see [my brother] home soon. Until then, I'm their role model, their father figure."

As for Joey Escalera, holding a red basket filled with plastic eggs, he said about his father: "I miss him and I want him to help me open a lot of eggs."

Rhonda Sanders, a registered nurse at the center, attened the April 6 egg hunt with her six kids. Off duty for the day, the nurse said the annual event is a big deal for both Hawthorne staff and residents.

"Oh my gosh, we look forward to this every year," she said. "All the residents love seeing the kids. They line up to watch them."

Working with the elderly, she said, is a joy.

"It's very important, because they give us a lot of history," Sanders said. "If you talk to them and sit down with them for a minute, it's something amazing."

Hawthorne administrator Naomi Ausburn was with Weeta Thomas, a resident at Hawthorne.

"I enjoyed watching the kids, they were having a good time just hunting the eggs," she said. "It's just good to see them having a good time."

Thomas has worked at the Hawthorne skilled nursing center for more than 15 years. "This is a great retirement community," she said. "I wouldn't work anywhere else."

Vernon Zeger is Hawthorne's executive director.

He started his career as a radiation therapist but soon realized that was not his passion. He said he always enjoyed being around older people and so he enrolled at the University of South Florida to pursue a career in long-term care.

Hawthorne, he said, opened just west of Lumsden Road and King Avenue in 1994, with a skilled nursing facility. Housing for independent and assisted living residents opened about six years later.

"It's important that people know that we're here and that we're a community partner," Zeger said.

Hawthorne each year hosts three major community events: the Easter egg hunt in April, the fall festival in October and pictures with Santa Claus in December.

"We're a part of the community and we care about Brandon," Zeger said.

As for the April 6 Easter egg hunt, "it brings out something in the residents when they see the kids," Zeger said. "Some people you never see smiling, when they see the kids, they'll smile."

Buddy Smallwood has known about the Easter egg hunt for years, and attended the April 6 event with his granddaughter, Averie.

"I used to work here and now I bring my grandkid here," he said. "I love the older people. I've worked here for five years, in maintenance. I think I paid more attention to the older people than I did to the maintenance."