Spirit Halloween holds party for Geisinger children’s hospital
Patients and families were invited to pick from dozens of Halloween costumes and participated in spooky crafts and face painting. The party was held in celebration of Spirit’s 2023 fundraising efforts with the hospital.
Miranda Peruso, Geisinger’s director of annual giving, said Spirit Halloween hosts parties at healthcare facilities that reach a $50,000 fundraising goal during the previous year’s in-store campaign.
“This was the first party at Geisinger Janet Weis Children’s Hospital,” Peruso said. “Our partnership with Spirit has raised nearly $300,000 for the Child Life department since 2019. We’re so grateful to everyone who supported Geisinger when shopping at Spirit Halloween.”
Geisinger’s Child Life specialists make kids more comfortable at the hospital by explaining procedures using play, helping children cope with pain and supporting their efforts to stay up-to-date with their school work. Child Life has the motto of “making the hospital less scary for patients and families.
Nearly a dozen patients and their siblings attended the party. Leftover costumes were taken to Geisinger pediatric clinics to share with more patients.
“This is part of who we are,” said Jeremy Simpson, zone manager for Spirit Halloween, “It can be sombering to see kids in the hospital, but it is wonderful to see their faces light up for an event like this.”
About Geisinger
Geisinger is among the nation’s leading providers of value-based care, serving 1.2 million people in urban and rural communities across central and northeastern Pennsylvania. Founded in 1915 by philanthropist Abigail Geisinger, the nonprofit system generates more than $8 billion in annual revenues across 163 care sites — including 10 hospital campuses — and Geisinger Health Plan, with more than half a million members in commercial and government plans. Geisinger College of Health Sciences educates more than 500 medical professionals annually and is conducting more than 1,400 clinical research studies. With more than 27,000 employees, including 1,800 employed physicians and 5,200 registered nurses, Geisinger is among Pennsylvania’s largest employers, having an estimated economic impact of $16.8 billion on the state’s economy. In 2024, Geisinger joined Risant Health, a nonprofit charitable organization created to expand and accelerate value-based care across the country. Learn more at geisinger.org or follow on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.
