Bringing Halloween Joy to Hospitals Nationwide with Disney-Themed Bundles and Costumes
This Halloween season, Starlight Children’s Foundation and Disney brought spook-tacular fun to seriously ill kids across the country. Together, they created unforgettable Halloween celebrations at the hospital for children, helping 450 hospitals to create festive spaces filled with costumes, toys, and smiles.
Celebrating the Delivery of 20,000 Disney Costumes in Time for Halloween at the Hospital
Earlier this year, Disney kicked off an initiative to donate a Halloween costume to Starlight Children’s Foundation for each one purchased on DisneyStore.com. These purchases unlocked the maximum donation from Disney of 20,000 Halloween costumes, and Starlight oversaw the distribution of these costumes, delivering them to children at the 450 hospitals in the Starlight hospital partner network. Members of the Starlight Families program, which bridges the gap between in-hospital and at-home treatment, also received costumes through Starlight’s Direct-to-Family program.
Delivering Whimsical Fun and Much-Needed Relief
From Moana to Marvel heroes, every costume provided a child with the opportunity to step into a world of imagination. When hospitalized kids can transform into their favorite characters, it gives them a positive distraction from the challenges they may be facing during hospitalization. It’s important for kids to play and have fun. Instead of thinking about the next treatment or procedure, kids can simply embrace the joys of childhood.
These donated costumes also empower kids with a sense of control. Cait Bramble, Director of Child Life and Family at Hurley Children's Hospital, elaborates on the impact of the costumes:
“Kids receiving medical treatment don't have a lot of choice or control when they are in the hospital, so being able to pick their OWN Disney costume from a variety of options added another layer of special to our Reverse Trick or Treating event!”
Amidst coordinating their children's appointments and tests, having these costumes readily available for kids at the hospitals supported parents, too. “Parents appreciated not having to worry about the logistics of making sure their kids got to participate in such a big part of childhood - dressing up!” said Cait.
Disney-Themed Halloween Bundles: A Special Delivery from Starlight
Starlight helped deliver Halloween joy to hospitals with exclusive Disney-themed Halloween bundles which included everything from books and puzzles to toys and costumes. These bundles offer moments of happiness for seriously ill children, enhancing their emotional resilience during a hospital stay.
‘Not-so-Scary' Hospital Halloween Parties
Starlight and Disney directly distributed the costumes and bundles through events at five of Starlight’s partner hospitals. These hospitals included Johns Hopkins Outpatient Center in Tampa, Orlando Health Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children, Boston Children’s Hospital, Children’s Hospital of Orange County, and Cohen Children’s Medical Center in Queens, New York.
At these events, kids got to "shop" at the trick-or-treat station for snacks, books, and toys. They also got to go to the “Costume Shop” and pick out a Disney, Star Wars, Marvel, or Pixar-themed costume at no cost.
Starlight and Disney brought the joy, adventure, and happiness of Halloween to children in hospitals, creating a Halloween to remember for patients and their families.
