MESA, Ariz. (Oct. 22, 2025) – Being stuck in the hospital is often a scary experience, and even scarier for children who face chronic illness, disease and other injuries. To make the hospital experience a bit less scary for those kids, Banner Children’s at Desert Medical Center recently partnered with Spirit Halloween retail stores to bring them a fun-filled, interactive experience ahead of Halloween.
Spirit of Children, a program organized by Spirit Halloween across the country, helps to bring Halloween activities and costumes for pediatric patients who may not otherwise be able to celebrate a traditional Halloween. During the Oct. 15 party at Banner Children’s at Desert, young patients picked out costumes, painted decorative pumpkins, received festive temporary tattoos and played games with hospital team members and Spirit Halloween staff.
“Spirit of Children is so special because we get to bring smiles to the faces of these young patients, even when they might be stuck in the hospital during holidays like Halloween,” said Sue Eaton, associate director of the child life department at Banner Children’s at Desert. “We’re always grateful to be able to partner with Spirit Halloween, especially considering their extensive awareness and fundraising efforts for children’s hospitals like ours.”
The partnership between Spirit of Children and pediatric hospitals like Banner Children’s is rooted in a shared commitment to local communities. Every dollar raised in local stores stays local, with 100% of funds going directly toward supporting each partner hospital’s child life department and the children they serve.
To date, the Spirit of Children program has raised $1,268,873 for Banner Children’s at Desert. Funds raised go to the child life department, which provides developmental, educational, and therapeutic support for children undergoing medical treatment. Halloween shoppers can donate money at local Spirit Halloween stores, where 100% of the contributions will benefit local child life departments.
About Banner Children’s at Desert
Banner Children's at Desert provides pediatric care for children, from newborns to teens. Services include immediate access to Level I trauma services and emergency care, a Level III neonatal intensive care unit, general pediatrics, surgical and rehabilitation services, hematology/oncology, urology, gastroenterology, neurology and outpatient services. For more information, visit bannerhealth.com/bannerchildrensatdesert.
About Banner Health Foundation
Established in 2001, the Banner Health Foundation engages the community and stewards charitable contributions to advance Banner Health’s nonprofit mission of making health care easier so life can be better. Contributions are invested locally to support patient care programs and services operated by Banner’s many hospitals and health care facilities across Arizona. For more information, please visit www.bannerhealthfoundation.org.
About Spirit of Children
At the heart of Spirit Halloween is Spirit of Children, a program which focuses on making hospitals less scary for kids and their families. Since fundraising began in 2007, Spirit of Children has raised over $145 million for the Child Life department at hospitals across the United States and Canada. Donations to Spirit of Children stay within local communities, with 100% of funds going toward support for Child Life. For the 2025 Halloween season, Spirit of Children will be supporting 162 pediatric hospitals across North America, with a goal to raise $18 million. Spirit Halloween encourages customers to help make a difference in a child's life this Halloween season by donating at their local Spirit Halloween. For more information, please visit: SpiritofChildren.com.
About Spirit Halloween
Spirit Halloween is the largest Halloween retailer in North America. With over 1,500 seasonal locations expected to open in strip malls and centers across North America, Spirit is the one-stop destination for all things Halloween. For more than four decades, Spirit has created immersive and interactive experiences for shoppers, complete with a unique and vast assortment of costumes and accessories for infants, toddlers, children, 'tweens, teens, and adults, along with exclusive décor and animatronics you won't find anywhere else. For more information, please visit SpiritHalloween.com.
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