Spirit Halloween’s charitable foundation, Spirit of Children has announced its annual Spirit of Children Week, beginning 9 October, 2023.
The foundation has raised over $110 million to date and aims to raise an additional $18 million in 2023 to continue to support its events at over 150 partner hospitals across North America, which help to bring much needed joy and fun to patients and their families navigating the difficulties of extended hospital stays.
The week is set to be filled with a variety of Halloween celebrations. This year, Spirit of Children and its partner hospitals will provide in-person costume parties, trick-or-treating, parades, and other seasonal festivities. Each event will feature costumes, celebration kits with activity books, and treat bags donated through the generous support of Spirit Halloween suppliers.
Steven Silverstein, ceo of Spirit Halloween, commented: “Spirit of Children is at the heart of what we do at Spirit Halloween, and the bonds we’ve built through the years with our hospital partners is something very special.
“It’s great to see so many in-person events returning this year, thanks in part to the tireless efforts of hospital staff and Spirit Halloween volunteer employees that help coordinate so many of these programs. We’ve seen firsthand the magical feeling these events bring to children and their families facing the difficulties of being in the hospital, and we are grateful we can play a small part in bringing Halloween joy to them this year.”
Terry Spearman, manager of child life services at Children’s National Health System in Washington DC said: “Spirit of Children recognises that healing a child’s body, mind, and spirit takes more than medicine. We are grateful for their ongoing partnership that allows us to put funding towards the resources needed most by our Child Life Specialists and thankful for the special relationship we have with our local Spirit Halloween locations who do such a wonderful job each year supporting our hospital.”
Kayley Laseter, senior program coordinator, cause marketing, at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Foundation, added: “The support we receive from Spirit of Children is critical to sustaining specialised Child Life services within our hospitals. We are looking forward to our annual Halloween party with our local store team next week. This event will provide a much-needed break from the challenges of being hospitalized and give our patient families the opportunity to enjoy the Halloween season, complete with picking out their favourite costumes.”
When Spirit Halloween guests donate in-store, 100% of funds go directly to local hospital partners, allowing them to hire staff, extend hours, expand therapy programmes, add educational items, and more.
