“While many children are able to go trick-or-treating, our pediatric patients at Nemours Children’s Hospital, Florida were able to celebrate Halloween with their medical providers, thanks to the generosity of Spirit of Halloween, who donated costumes and festive items,” says Jenna Read, Lead Child Life Specialist at Nemours Children’s Hospital, Florida.
WILMINGTON, Del., Feb 23 – Nemours Children’s Health recently received more than $100,000 in donations from Spirit of Children, the philanthropic arm of Spirit Halloween, to directly support the health system’s Child Life departments.
A check was presented at Nemours Children’s Hospital, Delaware for $86,482, marking the tenth year Spirit of Children has helped the Child Life team provide much needed programs to our patients and their families. And for the first time Spirit Halloween partnered with Nemours Children’s Hospital, Florida to help raise an inaugural $20,235.
To date, Nemours has received an overall donation total of $418,500 from Spirit Halloween and the Spirit of Children program. All funds go towards making hospital stays easier for young patients and their families, allowing Child Life team members to purchase the resources they need to provide non-medical treatment and healing play. Some of the items Nemours was able to purchase with these donations include teaching materials that help children learn more about the hospital, toys that promote coping and pain management, and items that are provided to patients to create normalcy when they are admitted.
“We put these donations towards anything from baby rattles to coloring books to Bluetooth speakers. Donations like these greatly impact our ability to have exactly what we need to support our patients. It’s important to have a large variety of play and coping materials and tools on hand, so we can make the medical experience a more child friendly one,” says Jennifer Sciolla, MS, CTRS, CCLS, Senior Director of Child and Family Services at Nemours Children’s Hospital, Delaware. “We are thankful for the continued support from Spirit of Children as our child life team continues to grow and serve more patients and families. We have been able to consistently add to our resources that help provide individualized support, entertainment, education, and distraction for our patients during their hospital stays and medical visits.”
In past years, Spirit Halloween volunteers hosted in-person celebrations at nearly 100 partner hospitals. Due to the on-going COVID-19 pandemic, an alternate in-hospital Halloween celebration for pediatric patients was made possible by Spirit of Children. Halloween care packages were sent to Nemours Children’s along with costumes donated by Spirit Halloween. Patients enjoyed “reverse trick-or-treating” along with other contactless activities.
“While many children are able to go trick-or-treating, our pediatric patients at Nemours Children’s Hospital, Florida were able to celebrate Halloween with their medical providers, thanks to the generosity of Spirit of Halloween, who donated costumes and festive items,” says Jenna Read, Lead Child Life Specialist at Nemours Children’s Hospital, Florida.
Proceeds were collected at local Delaware Valley and Orlando Spirit Halloween stores, SpiritHalloween.com, and from business partners.
About Nemours Children’s Health
Nemours Children’s Health is one of the nation’s largest multistate pediatric health systems, including two free-standing children's hospitals and a network of nearly 75 primary and specialty care practices. Nemours Children's seeks to transform the health of children by adopting a holistic health model that utilizes innovative, safe, and high-quality care, while also caring for the health of the whole child beyond medicine. Nemours Children's also powers the world’s most-visited website for information on the health of children and teens, KidsHealth.org.
The Nemours Foundation, established through the legacy and philanthropy of Alfred I. duPont, provides pediatric clinical care, research, education, advocacy, and prevention programs to the children, families and communities it serves.
About Spirit Halloween
Spirit Halloween (SpiritHalloween.com) is the largest Halloween specialty retailer in the country, with over 1,425 locations in strip centers and malls across North America. Celebrating more than 37 years of business, Spirit is the premier destination for all things Halloween, offering one-stop shopping for everything from costumes to décor and party goods to accessories. In addition to being a fun and interactive event for shoppers, Spirit stores offer complete selections of costumes and accessories for infants/toddlers, children, 'tweens, teens, and adults, along with exclusive décor you won't find anywhere else. For more information, please visit: SpiritHalloween.com
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