EVENT RECAP

​

Halloween has always been my favorite holiday. It also didn't hurt that my birthday was in close proximity. As a kid, the entire 2nd half of October was an annual festival of costumes and birthday cake and gifts and parties that made me feel very, very special. The changing of leaves and the chill in the air meant that Halloween was getting close. My tiny imagination would start to brainstorm this years’ creative costume, and I would furiously map out my elaborate trick-or-treating route to hit all the houses that give out the full-size candy bars. For weeks after Halloween, my candy served as a bargaining chip for when I needed something from my sister. When you’re a kid chocolate is currency.

As I got older, I never grew out of it. I studied theatre in college, which turned Halloween into a fury of fighting with sewing machines, rummaging through thrift shops, and crafting elaborate stage make-up. To this day, I will never turn down an invitation to a costume party. I should also mention that I won’t pass up the opportunity to wear a costume to a party that doesn’t require a costume, either. Wearing a costume is an escape; it’s fun to be someone else for a moment, to dress up, to feel special.

 

For the past 8 years, Big Sunday has hosted their Spooky Sunday party for kids (and families) from local non-profits. The 100+ kids attending are experiencing homelessness, poverty, have mental or physical disabilities, or live in high-risk neighborhoods, which means they might not be able to afford a costume or trick-or-treat. Every child on this planet deserves to dress up as their favorite character, trick-or-treat til their feet give out and end the day with their little plastic pumpkins full to the brim of the good stuff. Every child deserves to feel the way I felt on Halloween: special.

 

Before the event, I shared our Costume Drive information on my neighborhood’s Facebook page, and on NextDoor.com. It was a great way to meet my neighbors, chat about resisterhoodLA, and collect costumes! I waltzed into Big Sunday with my arms overflowing with Elsas and Minions.

 

Big Sunday’s Spooky Sunday takes over the entire street to host a costume giveaway, a portrait studio, a haunted house, a delicious meal, arts & crafts, and… TRUNK-OR-TREATING.

 

I rallied the resisterhoodLA troops! 5 crafty volunteers stepped up to decorate their trunks, and I was absolutely blown away by the creativity… We had Star Wars, Nightmare Before Christmas, Jurassic Park, a Mad Science Lab, and Troop Beverly Hills. Our 22 volunteers all donated money for candy (You better believe we got the good stuff, baby!), and dressed up around the theme of their assigned car. After picking out a costume, the kids walk down the street from car to car... With their sweet little faces and their tiny hands holding too-big paper bags... It takes everything in me not to dump my entire cauldron of candy into the first tiny Wonder Woman’s bag before she’s even finished saying “Trick or Treat!”

 

This day wasn’t just fun for the kids. It was fun for us. We laughed and posed for pictures and shared moments with mini-me’s. We looked the other way when kids grabbed handfuls, the Troop Beverly Hills car gave out merit badges, the Star Wars car encouraged kids to shoot down the bad guys with a nerf gun, and the Mad Science lab did experiments that captivated parents AND kids!

 

I'm so proud of the effort and creativity that went into this volunteer event. I hope that every single kid left with a big bag of candy, feeling special, and loving Halloween as much as I do.