Jays Care helps treat kids on Halloween
10/31/2005TORONTO -- It may have been a candyless Halloween, but there were plenty of costumes to go around.
A group of volunteers from Toronto's Jays Care initiative visited a children's hospital on Monday, bearing gifts and wearing disguises to help bring the holiday home. Many of the patients and their parents had their own costumes, which lent some character to the hospital's halls.
"It's heartwarming in that we're able to be here and help," said Holly Purdon, the Jays' coordinator of community relations, who was dressed as a medieval maiden. "These kids are so strong every day of the year. For us to take a little bit of time and make their day brighter, it's the least we can do."
Jays Care is an civic-minded program that involves Toronto's entire support system -- from on-field personnel to executives and other employees. Everyone in the organization donates some time to community service, and the Jays Care Foundation has committed more than $1 million to worthwhile local programs.
Judging by Monday's procession into Marnie's Room, an arts-and-crafts lounge at the hospital, the most recent event was a complete success. Throughout the day, children of all ages and costumes circulated around the room, playing with each other and filling their grab-bags with Toronto hats and stickers.
There were angels and devils, ballerinas and jailbirds, skeletons standing next to clowns with bright rainbow wigs. One youngster summed up the variety with a casual comment to a passerby.
"My brother's an old granny," said the child, dressed as a red Power Ranger.
Marnie's Room was just one of the stops on the tour. There were stations set up on virtually every floor, making it far easier to replicate the trick-or-treat experience. Most stations didn't have candy, though -- the main refreshments were fruit punch and cookies shaped like ghosts and black cats.
Jane Darch, who runs Marnie's Room during the year, said many of the patients look forward to Halloween for weeks on end.
"The kids anticipate it -- all the excitement of choosing a costume and getting ready," said Darch, a Certified Child Life Specialist. "A normal day would be much quieter. There wouldn't be this level of activity or preparation. This is a break in the routine, but it's also something they'd be doing with their friends at home."
Ace, Toronto's mascot, was a big hit with most of the kids. He posed for pictures and helped hand out merchandise, as did the rest of the volunteers. They were dressed up creatively, too, ranging from a cowgirl to an American Gladiator and a hockey player with a blacked-out tooth.
With that said, the costumes were only part of the fun. The rest came from giving back to the community and presenting some relief for people who need it.
"Just the smiles on their faces -- being able to get their attention and see their eyes light up," said Purdon. "This is definitely a priority as far as the program goes. It's an event we've done numerous times in the past and one we'd like to do numerous times in the future. We'd like it to be a tradition."
Darch said she's worked at the hospital since 1998, and she also said that the staffers appreciate the Jays' involvement almost as much as the patients do.
"It's fun. The kids face so many challenges and so many changes when they come to the hospital, so it's nice to provide Halloween for them," she said. "It's an opportunity for the Jays to spend time with the kids and for the kids to meet their heroes. It's fun for the families, too."
Source: http://toronto.bluejays.mlb.com/
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