Spirit Halloween donates over $100K to support patients at UC Davis Children's Hospital

Spirit Halloween and its Spirit of Children Foundation donated $102,841, to UC Davis Children’s Hospital. And every cent goes to the UC Davis Child Life and Creative Arts Therapy Department to support the emotional needs of pediatric patients and families.

The Spirit Halloween team presented the check this month for funds raised in 2024.

“The funds raised by Spirit of Children over the years have allowed us to expand child life services, helping more children cope with the anxiety of hospitalization and medical treatments, while also making the hospital environment more enjoyable,” said Diana Sundberg, Child Life and Creative Arts Therapy Department manager. 

Spirit Halloween also hosts an annual Halloween Party at UC Davis Children’s Hospital. This year’s event gave hospitalized children a chance to enjoy fun they might have otherwise missed. Spirit also donated costumes so children could choose outfits for both the party and trick-or-treating.

“Their ongoing partnership is one of the most rewarding aspects of my job, and we are deeply grateful for Spirit's dedication and hard work in helping us support children during some of their most challenging moments,” Sundberg said.

Annual donations from the foundation topped the $1 million mark last year. Funds have supported the UC Davis child life fellowship program, which provides additional training and supervision to aspiring certified child life specialists. These donations make it possible for child life services to grow and expand into the Children’s Surgery Center, Radiology and the Pediatric Infusion Center, resulting in more children and families receiving support and guidance from child life specialists.