A unique and noteworthy Halloween event for families with critically or chronically ill children took place October 22 at Hilton Toronto/Markham Conference Centre.
The goal of the Starlight Children’s Foundation Canada is to brighten the lives of seriously ill children and their families through distractive hospital-to-home programs.
About 90 Starlight families attended a “Trick or Suite” event where they were able to safely visit 30 fully decorated hotel suites with different themes, activities, treats, and giveaways. Some themed rooms they got to visit included a Therapy Puppy Room, a Skeleton Rock Band Room, and an Encanto Room.
For some children, Trick or Suite was the first time they were able to enjoy the full trick-or-treating experience.
“Lucas and I wanted to say thank you so much for the amazing experience we had this evening for the Trick or Treating event,” shared Nicole, mom of 12-year-old Lucas, who lives with cerebral palsy. “It has been a long time since I have seen so many smiles on Lucas’ face. He truly feels ‘at home’ when he attends Starlight experiences with kids and staff. He loves Captain Starlight, and seeing him just made his evening.”
Whether they live with a compromised immune system that makes visiting numerous homes a health risk, or they live with accessibility challenges that make it hard to travel from door to door, Halloween has been difficult for some families. At Trick or Suite, kids had a chance to be just that – a kid.