I mentioned in my earlier post that I would be blogging about the Halloween party at Blythedale Children’s Hospital in Westchester County. The party was hosted Wednesday by the Greenwich Jaycees, of which I am a member. I dressed as a witch, and brought dirt cupcakes for the kids, which were a hit. The recipe is easy: Buy chocolate cupcakes with chocolate frosting. Get a box of Oreos and smash them up to make “dirt,” and let the kids top the cupcakes with gummy worms and sour patch worms. I also found a big bag of candy body parts at CVS for $3.99, which included ears, fingers, teeth and other gory parts but according to the kids, “tasted rubbery.”
Blythedale is a hospital that serves kids with trauma and serious medical conditions, including cancer, brain injuries and organ defects. Our party was hosted for about two dozen of the 92 kids who spend their days and nights in the hospital. Some came to the party in wheelchairs, and one boy came in his bed. We had face-painting, candy, rub-on tattoos and arts and crafts.
I met a lovely little girl who brightened the room with her smile. Unable to speak — or even eat any candy — she was thrilled when one of the volunteers, Aisha Patel, painted flowers on both of the little girl’s hands. Aisha got a big thumbs-up from her customer for the handiwork.
There was a sense of serenity in the room that you normally wouldn’t get when passing out free candy to kids 12 and under. These kids have been through a lot, and they enjoyed the company more than anything else. They probably won’t be heading out tonight for trick or treat, but it was great that we were able to bring Halloween to them.
