Children of St. Mary’s Were Treated to a Memorable Halloween with Costumes, Pumpkins, and activites, all hosted by Spirit Halloween
Batman and Superman walked out together, as Shrek and a scary goblin followed. While a little princess waved her magic wand, Cinderella searched for her Prince.
The kids of St. Mary’s Hospital for Children turned into goblins, monsters, superheroes, and even a few characters from High School Musical, on Tuesday, October 14th, during a special Halloween party hosted by the country’s largest seasonal Halloween retailer, Spirit Halloween.
Launched in 2006, Spirit Halloween created the Spirit of Children program to bring the joys of the year’s spookiest holiday to children in hospitals and rehabilitation centers who may not be able to join in the Halloween spirit. “Spirit Halloween is doing a great thing by bringing happiness to these kids at the hospital,” said Burton Grebin, MD, President and CEO of St. Mary’s. “It’s a special joy to watch the kids enjoy a holiday they might otherwise not have the opportunity to participate in.”
The children of St. Mary’s eagerly chose among an array of characters, their favorite costumes, all generously donated by Spirit Halloween. Along with the President and CEO of the company, Steven Silverstein, volunteers joined patients at the bayside hospital in painting pumpkins, putting up decorations, and creative arts & crafts activities. “This is a mission our whole organization has rallied around – from the executive management team to the local stores who actually create the events and interact with the kids. We’ve had wonderful response from the hospitals we’ve served, as well. But it’s really the reactions of the kids that has really made this program the heart of Spirit Halloween,” said Mr. Silverstein.
Some of the volunteers even left the hospital with green and orange faces after some of the kids found amusement in painting their faces.
Spirit Halloween donated all decorations, arts & crafts supplies, coloring books and crayons for the kids of St. Mary’s. They also donated special socks for the infants in St. Mary’s state-of-the-art nursery. Spirit Halloween created memories that will last a lifetime for some very special kids who are battling complex medical and life-limiting conditions.
