Spirit Halloween Donates Nearly $72,000 to the Child Life Program at K. Hovnanian Children’s Hospital

For the fourth consecutive year, Spirit Halloween has provided a significant grant to Hackensack Meridian Health K. Hovnanian Children’s Hospital at Hackensack Meridian Health Jersey Shore University Medical Center. The recent gift, provided through the Spirit of Children program, represents collections during the 2019 Halloween season, and totaled $71,870, bringing the organization’s overall donations to nearly $280,000.

“We are incredibly fortunate to have again been selected by Spirit Halloween as a beneficiary of this remarkable program,” says Joseph Stampe, president and chief development officer, Hackensack Meridian Health Meridian Health Foundation, the foundation that administers the grant to the children’s hospital. “This initiative has benefited countless children and we are grateful for the generosity of Spirit Halloween. It has made a tangible impact on the lives of hospitalized children and on the Child Life program at K. Hovnanian Children’s Hospital.”

The funds distributed to partner hospitals such as K. Hovnanian Children’s Hospital will be used to provide fun and funding for hospitalized children throughout the year. Additionally, it will be used to purchase sensory and distraction items for children, which will be used by the team of child life specialists at the hospital.

“The Child Life team is vital to making hospitalization as easy as possible for children,” says William Faverzani, vice president, Hackensack Meridian Children’s Health. “We are thankful to Spirit of Halloween for recognizing the value of this program and for continuing to help us advance care and support for sick children.”

“The Child Life Program at K. Hovnanian Children’s Hospital helps kids focus on being kids despite their hospitalization,” says Harpreet Pall, M.D., professor and chairman, department of pediatrics, K. Hovnanian Children’s Hospital. “The specialists help to reduce stress and anxiety, teach children about procedures and tests in a kid-friendly way and support emotional needs to achieve better outcomes. It is an invaluable role and Spirit Halloween has helped us to expand these vital services to other areas of the hospital.”

As part of the Spirit of Children program, Spirit Halloween stores in the local area conducted in-store fundraising campaigns specifically to benefit the Child Life Program at K. Hovnanian Children’s Hospital. In addition to collecting in-store donations, when customers utilized Spirit Halloween’s 10-for-10 coupon, they received 10 percent off their purchase and Spirit Halloween matched every coupon purchase with a 10 percent donation.

Not only will this grant from Spirit Halloween help children and families impacted by illness, it also brings Meridian Health Foundation one step closer to reaching its fundraising goal of $150 million as part of the organization’s Giving Heals campaign. The campaign supports four important initiatives: strengthening oncology services, improving clinical outcomes, enhancing the patient experience and broadening clinical research and academic programs. Nearly $110 million has been raised so far to benefit eight Hackensack Meridian Health hospitals, including Jersey Shore University Medical Center, K. Hovnanian Children’s Hospital, Bayshore Medical Center, Ocean Medical Center, Raritan Bay Medical Center in Perth Amboy, Raritan Bay Medical Center in Old Bridge, Riverview Medical Center and Southern Ocean Medical Center.