/PRNewswire/ - Spirit Halloween, the nation's leading seasonal Halloween retailer, announced today that $2 million has been raised this Halloween season for Child Life departments at 106 individual and local hospitals across the U.S. and Canada through its Spirit of Children program.

Since its inception in 2006, Spirit of Children has raised more than $4 million for over 100 children's hospitals across the United States and Canada. The program has a two-pronged impact both at Halloween and all year long. First, on Spirit of Children Day volunteer Spirit employees bring Halloween celebrations to the hospital complete with costumes and decor donated by our vendor partners in addition to activities such as pumpkin painting, costume parades and Halloween games. Spirit of Children Day provides a temporary escape for the young patients and their families by creating a fun Halloween atmosphere so that they can forget about their illnesses and be regular kids for the day.

Then, throughout our stores, Spirit of Children raises needed funds through the generous donations of Spirit Halloween's customers and partners which are gathered in all 870 Spirit Halloween locations. One hundred percent of all funds raised by Spirit of Children is donated specifically to Child Life departments. In each hospital Child Life is dedicated to improving the comfort and experience of pediatric patients in hospitals. Each individual Child Life unit determines what the funds will be used for and as a result, the money is used to support the greatest need. This has included resources such as additional full-time staff to keep playrooms open on weekends, art and music therapy programs, toys and games created specifically for children with physical limitations and everyday items such as books, computers and arts-n-craft supplies.

"Spirit of Children is the heart of the Spirit Halloween organization," said Steven Silverstein, Spirit Halloween President and CEO. "Our mission is to make the hospital stay less scary for kids and their families. We're able to do this by bringing the fun and fantasy of Halloween to children who otherwise might not be able to enjoy the holiday and we bring much-needed funding to Child Life departments at independent hospitals all year long. This season, we were on a mission to double our impact and I'm proud to say we've raised $2 million with the support of our loyal, passionate and generous customers as well as the extraordinary efforts of our thousands of dedicated associates and similar support from our enthusiastic vendor community."

In only 5 years, the Spirit of Children program has expanded its reach from 11 hospitals in 2006 to 106 in 2010, including such leading medical institutions as Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Johns Hopkins Children's Center, Mattel Children's Hospital at UCLA, Phoenix Children's Hospital, Seattle Children's Hospital and Texas Children's Hospital as well as eleven of the twenty-two Shriner's Hospitals for Children locations throughout the country.

For a full list of participating hospitals and additional information regarding the Spirit of Children program, please visit www.spiritofchildren.com.

About Spirit Halloween
Spirit Halloween (www.spirithalloween.com) is the largest seasonal Halloween retailer in the country with more than 870 locations in strip centers and malls across North America. The authority on all things Halloween, Spirit has offered one-stop shopping - ranging from costumes to decor and party goods to accessories - for more than 25 years. In addition to being a fun and interactive event for shoppers, Spirit stores offer complete selections of costumes and accessories for infants/toddlers, children, 'tweens, teens, adults, and even pets. At the heart of Spirit Halloween is the Spirit of Children program which brings fun and funding to hospitals at Halloween and all year long.

Spirit Halloween

Spirit Halloween

Spirit Halloween (www.spirithalloween.com) is the largest seasonal Halloween retailer in the country with more than 870 locations in strip centers and malls across North America. The authority on all things Halloween, Spirit has offered one-stop shopping - ranging from costumes to decor and party goods to accessories - for more than 25 years. In addition to being a fun and interactive event for shoppers, Spirit stores offer complete selections of costumes and accessories for infants/toddlers, children, 'tweens, teens, adults, and even pets. At the heart of Spirit Halloween is the Spirit of Children program which brings fun and funding to hospitals at Halloween and all year long.

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