The Spirit of Children: Helping Make Hospitals Less Scary for Children

Disclosure:  I received a gift card in exchange for sharing my honest opinion and this information.

Halloween is a time where kids (and adults) can dress up as their favorite character and be someone else for the day.  It’s a time where kids can be silly or scary and have fun trick or treating.  For me I honestly have always loved the costume part of Halloween over the candy part.  I could get candy anytime but it wasn’t socially acceptable to wear costumes on days other than Halloween.  I did play dress up but it was more fun when all of my friends were dressed in costumes too.

Well what about the kids that can’t go trick or treating because they are in a hospital?  Kids in hospitals shouldn’t miss out on Halloween fun and Spirit is a company that has stepped forward to help kids in hospitals embrace Halloween.  Spirit of Children is a program that brings fun to hospitals at Halloween time and all year long.  They focus on hospitals because they feel hospital stays can be scary enough for kids and their families and they want to lighten up the mood as best as they can. The program started seven years ago with eleven hospitals and since then they have raised more than $16 million in cash and merchandise donations for over 130 children’s hospitals across the United States and Canada.

Each year Spirit field team associates bring everything that is needed for a Halloween celebration from costumes to goody bags.  Everything is donated by Spirit and their vendor partners.  Additionally, shoppers can help out the casuse by donating in Spirit Halloween stores.  Last year alone they collected $4.9 million cash and merchandise donations.  What makes the program really unique though is that every dollar of the money collected in stores or donates is given to the Child Life departements.  Yep 100% of the donations.  Child Life then is able to purchase educational and entertainment items to be used, as well funding field trips, adding staff, art programs and more.  Local donations stay local and they do not take a penny for overhead costs.

In Chicago, donations help out Chicago Shriners Hospital for Children.  It’s a great cause and something that can really make a difference.  How could a child not smile during a Halloween celebration?

How You Can Help

In Chicago, donations help out Chicago Shriners Hospital for Children. It’s a great cause and something that can really make a difference.  How could a child not smile during a Halloween celebration?

As a part of Spirit Halloween’s support for Chicago Shriners Hospital for Children, they recently brought Halloween to pediatric patients who wouldn’t normally be able to celebrate the holiday. To date, Spirit of Children program has raised more than $140,700 for the local hospital.