Celebrate Halloween Safely and Help a Good Cause

Am I dating myself or does anyone else remember the little paper boxes we used to carry with us when we went trick-or-treating? When I was a kid, this was my humble introduction to philanthropy. The boxes were usually bright orange and folded flat when the teacher handed them out at school. I remember carefully assembling them and punching out a small slit at the top for neighbors to insert change. Generous folks were always ready with their stacks of nickels and dimes.

Apparently, though I haven’t seen one in years, these little boxes still exist.

In case you’re not acquainted, the UNICEF organization is an incredibly worthy cause. As an arm of the United Nations, UNICEF focuses on the health and safety, quality of life and human rights of children throughout the world. Check out their website if you’d like to know more or to find out how you can help.

This year is undoubtedly a challenging one for us all, but I would imagine it’s even more problematic for those with a mission to help others. Just the logistics of traveling to other counties is daunting, let alone organizing and carrying-out relief efforts. And I would imagine that charities everywhere are struggling in 2020.

So Halloween… happening in your town or not? With trick-or-treating canceled or limited in many locations, those little orange UNICEF boxes will be missing from all our lives. UNICEF has gone on-line-only this year.

So for the sake of nostalgia, I’m planning on tossing a bit of spare change in the virtual UNICEF box this year.

You?

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from RIS Media (Family Features) This Halloween, fewer families will be going door to door as the pandemic enters its predicted second wave. Seventy-three percent of people do not anticipate taking their children trick-or-treating at all, according to a Harris Poll survey. However, Halloween is not canceled, and there are ways parents and kids can still celebrate safely while also giving back to a good cause.

To promote social distancing, Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF is going completely virtual for the first time. As the longest running youth-led program in the United States, it has raised more than $180 million for kids in need since inception. In fact, the iconic American tradition is celebrating its 70th anniversary this year.

Although the physical, orange coin boxes will not be seen this year, kids can still be heroes of Halloween by doing their part online. Beginning Oct. 1, parents and teachers can register at TrickorTreatforUNICEF.org to receive a virtual collection box with a customized link and QR code. By participating in activities and watching educational videos, children will earn Trick-or-Treat Coins that can be used to support real-life causes. By providing funding for COVID-19 relief programs in nutrition, health, education and more, kids can connect their efforts to positive impact for children around the world.

Teachers and educators in grades K-8 will also have access to the UNICEF Kid Power platform, where they can participate in free, virtual learning activities that introduce global citizenship concepts, promote teamwork and encourage community building. Kids can feel empowered knowing they are using this Halloween to support their peers both locally and globally.