Spooktacular Fun for Everyone at Lehigh Valley Reilly Children’s Hospital

Between the free candy and the opportunity to dress up as whoever (or whatever) you want for the day, it’s easy to see why kids can’t wait for Halloween. Unfortunately, some children didn’t get to celebrate the way they had hoped this year, instead spending it in the hospital.

Thanks to Lehigh Valley Reilly Children’s Hospital’s dedicated staff, pediatric patients who spent Oct. 31 in the hospital were still able to partake in the fun. The Children’s Hospital held a reverse trick-or-treat for pediatric inpatient unit patients, where instead of kids going door to door, staff went room to room, delivering sweet treats and goodies.

The Halloween spirit didn’t stop there. It spread into the Children’s Hospital’s neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), where the hospital’s tiniest patients sported their first Halloween costumes. Dressed by their parents, their outfits ranged in creativity from superheroes to wizards to even a day at the spa.

A few days prior, the Children’s Hospital’s NICU also hosted its annual reunion, where doctors, nurses and other staff from the NICU came together to celebrate their most recent graduates from the unit.

“For families, it's important to be able to connect with people who understand the journey they went through as a family,” says Wendy Kowalski, MD, Chief of Neonatology and medical director of the NICU at Lehigh Valley Riley Children's Hospital and the organizer of the reunion. “This reunion allows parents, couples and children to reconnect with our NICU team and come full circle with this new stage of life.”

The Children’s Hospital also hosted a Halloween-themed party for patients and their parents earlier in the month. Made possible by Spirit Halloween’s charitable foundation, Spirit of Children, the event treated party guests to a hauntingly good time with a costume giveaway, games, crafts, snacks and other Halloween-themed fun.

“The Spirit of Children party was an amazing event,” says Vanessa Gramm-Mackey, Director, Child Life Program at Lehigh Valley Reilly Children’s Hospital. “We had over 160 children and families attend the party. Everyone had a great time. We are so thankful for Spirit of Children and all they do for our Child Life Department and our children and families.”

The Spirit of Children is partnering with more than 150 hospitals throughout the U.S. and Canada this year, throwing parties and donating thousands of costumes this year alone. The organization raises money for child life programs with 100% of donations staying local in the market where those funds are raised. To date, Spirit of Children has exceeded $100 million in donations to child life programs. Since 2012, Spirit of Children has donated more than $870,000 to the Child Life Program at Lehigh Valley Reilly Children’s Hospital, the region’s first and most trusted children’s hospital. These funds have helped purchase toys and fund other age-appropriate activities and education which child life specialists use to help ease the stress and uncertainty surrounding a visit to the hospital.