Join Our Candy Drive for Local Kids With Autism

Halloween is a little way off yet, but this message is extra special because we are hoping you will help us make Halloween special for those kids who are on the Autism spectrum, and it might take us a little time to help reach our goal.

Last year, we teamed up with Kristen Hilsgen in her quest to make Halloween extra fun for everyone. All children deserve to have fun at Halloween, and like me, Kristen has a son on the Autism spectrum, who can sometimes make trick-or-treating a very difficult event.

IF YOU KNOW...YOU KNOW

When my son was little, he really wanted to go trick-or-treating, but there were a lot of things that sometimes would prevent him from being able to enjoy it. The jump scares, the noise, and sometimes just the fear of the unknown. Kids on the spectrum can sometimes take things VERY literally, and Halloween can be a very confusing time.

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Here is her story:

Hi everyone! I thought I would take a moment to reintroduce what we do.

Our Son Jackson was diagnosed with Autism at the age of 2. He is more on the severe side and mostly non-verbal. Holidays became a struggle for Jackson, especially Halloween. His sensory issues stopped him from wanting to wear costumes...He couldn't say Trick or Treat, which led to an awkward moment at each house, which usually resulted in our nights getting cut very short.

I knew other families out there had to be going through the same struggle. I hated the idea that all these kiddos and their families/siblings had to either skip Trick-or-Treating or cut their nights short.

So I began making treat bags to hand out to children. It started very small. Just my husband and I, making about 50 to hand out at his therapies. Over the years, my passion project has grown and grown, and this year we are projected to make 1200 bags! The bags get distributed across the entire state of MN.

Most of the candy is donated to ABA Autism centers, as well as All-Inclusive Trick or Treating Events.

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We try to make these bags with about 15-20 items in each, consisting of both sensory toys and candy. The idea is to make them large enough so that if this is the ONLY event or space the child receives a treat bag, it is enough to make their Halloween special.

This project is completely funded by our local community. Any donations help immensely. If you are interested in helping, I have an Amazon Wish list, as well as my Venmo/PayPal listed below. Please reach out with any questions!

-Kristin

DONATIONS ARE NEEDED

If you would like to make a financial contribution to help purchase the candy and treats, there are many different ways you can do so. Let's all come together and give just a little, so that our children on the spectrum, as well as their brothers, sisters, friends, and family, can also have a very Happy Halloween.

We thank you in advance. If you would like to contribute to the candy & treat fund, you can do so from your phone using your favorite app: Venmo, PayPal, or Amazon.

Click on the appropriate link below to make your much-needed contribution.

Let's help Kristin get 1200 bags filled this year and make Halloween a safe and happy one for everyone.

VENMO CLICK HERE

PAYPAL CLICK HERE

AMAZON CLICK HERE