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If a hospital stay can be a nerve-wracking and stressful experience for an adult, it can be even more distressing for a child. Along with being filled with people they don’t know, the hospital can be an unfamiliar environment filled with puzzling conversations between parents and staff, alarming sounds from medical devices and so much more.

Since 2006, Spirit Halloween’s Spirit of Children initiative has aimed to make hospitals less scary for children and their families. Having begun with Halloween parties in 11 hospitals nationwide at its inception, the campaign has grown in the last 18 years to support more than 150 facilities nationwide, including South Texas Health System Children’s in Edinburg.

Every year, a portion of proceeds from the sale of Halloween costumes, accessories and décor from Spirit Halloween stores nationwide goes to funding uplifting experiences in children’s hospitals through the Child Life Departments within those hospitals.

Since 2018, Spirit Halloween’s local stores have donated nearly $260,000 to the Auxiliary to South Texas Health System, STHS’ non-profit arm, through the Spirit of Children initiative. The funds have been turned over to STHS Children’s to support the services provided by the facility’s Child Life program to help the pediatric patients in the hospital’s care, including patient, sibling and family support services; sensory equipment and patient-focused resources like therapy programming, toys, crafts and art supplies.

“We are truly grateful for Spirit Halloween’s continued support of STHS Children’s, the first dedicated pediatric hospital in the Rio Grande Valley, through this special Spirit of Children initiative,” says Kim Davis, Pediatric Administrator, STHS Children’s. “They have helped our Child Life team continue to bring joy to our pediatric patients and their families in so many beautiful ways, including Halloween activities at the facility throughout the month of October that ensure hospitalized kids still get to enjoy the spirit of Halloween.”

Each year, Spirit Halloween stores offer 10% off purchases both in-store and online and then donate a portion of the proceeds to participating Child Life programs at participating hospitals. Additionally, Spirit Halloween customers can opt to make their own donations to the campaign.

“Spirit of Children is the heart of Spirit Halloween, and it’s our pleasure to partner with the Auxiliary to STHS to support the Child Life program at STHS Children’s,” says Whitney Thompson, Rio Grande Valley District Manager, Spirit Halloween. “It’s heart-warming to see the local community rally together to help provide healing and hope to sick Valley kids through STHS Children’s Child Life program while the physicians and nurses focus on medical treatment.”

To kick off this year’s fundraising campaign, STHS Children’s and the Auxiliary to STHS teamed up with Spirit Halloween to host a special ribbon-cutting ceremony at the store in south McAllen on Thursday, September 5, 2024, less than 60 days before Halloween.

Hospital and auxiliary representatives were joined by Spirit Halloween employees and customers, as well as members of the McAllen Chamber of Commerce and the Rio Grande Valley Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, to officially open the Rio Grande Valley’s five locations.

In 2023, Spirit of Children raised $63,187 locally through five Spirit Halloween stores in Brownsville, Harlingen, Weslaco and McAllen – a 10% increase from the previous year. Spirit Halloween representatives are confident they will surpass that total this Halloween season.

“It’s barely September and we’re already starting to see a great response from the community to this important initiative,” says Thompson. “We look forward to breaking another record in 2024!”

This Halloween season, Rio Grande Valley residents can shop at any of the following Spirit Halloween locations to support their Spirit of Children initiative:

• McAllen I: 1801 S. 10th St., McAllen, TX 78503
• McAllen II: 500 N. Jackson Rd. Suite A-2, Pharr, TX 78577
• Weslaco: 1025 Texas Blvd N. Suite 9, Weslaco, TX 78596
• Harlingen: 2313 W. Lincoln Ave, Harlingen, TX 78552
• Brownsville: 2436 Pablo Kisel Blvd. A, Brownsville, TX 78526