Making the dream Halloween costumes for kids in wheelchairs

IN THE WORKS NOW FOR HALLOWEEN. AND IF YOU HAVE A CHILD IN A WHEELCHAIR, YOU KNOW HOW TRICKY TRICK OR TREATING CAN REALLY BE. AND IT’S WHY A LOCAL ORGANIZATION IS DOING WHAT IT CAN TO HELP MAKE THAT EVENT SPECIAL. AND JOINING ME NOW IS AMBER SHRODES, DIRECTOR OF PHILANTHROPY AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AT THE HARFORD COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY. THANKS FOR BEING HERE. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR HAVING US, JEN. SO IT WAS SO COOL. I GOT TO DO THIS EVENT LAST YEAR AND IT WAS THE NEATEST THING. YOU BROUGHT ALL THESE VOLUNTEERS TOGETHER TO CREATE COSTUMES FOR THE WHEELCHAIRS THEMSELVES, FOR KIDS WHO ARE IN WHEELCHAIRS. YES, IT REALLY IS A MAGICAL EXPERIENCE FOR VOLUNTEERS. FOR OUR FAMILIES. WE WE ABSOLUTELY LOVE BEING A PART OF THIS INITIATIVE, WHICH BRINGS AWARENESS TO INCLUSIVITY IN OUR COMMUNITY. IT’S SO AWESOME. AND SO YOU WORK WITH THE KIDS TO FIND OUT WHAT THEY WANT TO BE FOR FOR HALLOWEEN. BECAUSE, LOOK, THERE ARE A MILLION THINGS THAT ARE DIFFICULT FOR KIDS IN WHEELCHAIRS WHEN IT COMES TO THE NIGHT OF TRICK OR TREATING. YES, BUT THE WAY THAT WE BUILD THE COSTUMES, THEY ARE ABLE TO HAVE FULL MOBILITY IN THEIR WHEELCHAIRS. WE HAVE AN INCREDIBLE TEAM OF FOLKS, FROM ENGINEERS TO ARTISTS TO SEAMSTRESS, THAT HELP US MAKE THEIR DREAM COSTUMES A POSSIBILITY. IF THEY ARE INTERESTED IN HAVING ONE DONE. IT’S COMPLETELY FREE. THEY JUST NEED TO FILL OUT A QUICK FORM ON OUR WEBSITE, WHICH IS HCPL ONLINE.ORG, AND THEN WE WILL GET THEIR INFORMATION AND REACH OUT TO THEM AND AND START WORKING ON WHATEVER MAKING THEIR DREAM COME TRUE. SO IS THIS LIMITED TO HARFORD COUNTY RESIDENTS? WE WILL WE WILL ACCEPT ANY WE WANT TO MAKE EVERY CHILD’S COSTUME DREAMS COME TRUE. OH THAT’S AWESOME. SO YOU ARE HOPING NOW TO DOUBLE THE AMOUNT OF KIDS THAT YOU DID THIS FOR? LAST YEAR? IT WAS EIGHT. YOU WANT AT LEAST 16? YES, THAT IS MY DREAM. BUT IN ORDER TO MAKE THAT HAPPEN, I NEED FOR 16 KIDS TO APPLY. BUT I ALSO NEED LOTS AND LOTS OF VOLUNTEERS. SO ON THAT SAME WEBSITE, HKPL ONLINE.ORG, IT’S A GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO DO A TEAM BUILDING ACTIVITY. WE LOVE WHEN KIDS USE US TO GET THEIR SERVICE HOURS. IT’S A LOT OF FUN. VERY HEARTWARMING. THE BUILD IS OCTOBER 3RD AND OCTOBER 4TH, BUT YOU DON’T HAVE TO BE THERE FOR BOTH DAYS AND THERE IS NO SKILL LEVEL REQUIRED. I HAVE LOTS OF EXPERTS ON SITE THAT KNOW HOW TO BUILD THEM. THAT’S THE COOLEST THING. AND IT’S IT’S A REAL IT’S A REAL BONDING EXPERIENCE BECAUSE EVERYONE’S IN THIS GIANT ROOM AND YOU HAVE EVERYONE SORT OF PARTITIONED OFF, AND YOU SEE HOW IT ALL COMES TOGETHER. AND IT DOES. IT HAPPENS ALL THE TIME. IT IS AMAZING. THE TEAMS ARE ARE WONDERFUL WHEN THEY FIRST START PUTTING SOME, PUTTING THEM TOGETHER, THEY’RE KIND OF LIKE, WHAT DID I GET MYSELF INTO? RIGHT? BUT WITH OUR EXPERTS HELP, THEY GET INTO IT REALLY QUICKLY. AND BY THE LAST DAY, THESE COSTUMES ARE PHENOMENAL. WE HAD A PEGASUS LAST YEAR BECAUSE A YOUNG MAN WANTED TO BE HERCULES, AND I MEAN, IT HAD WINGS THAT MOVED. WE HAD A DUMP TRUCK WITH A BACKHOE ON IT, AND ALL THE PIECES MOVED. WE HAD A FULL WHEEL OF FORTUNE BOARD THAT YOU COULD SPIN, AND THAT TOLD YOU HOW MUCH CANDY YOU COULD RECEIVE. THE THE FOLKS THAT PUT THEM TOGETHER REALLY LIKE TO RAISE THE BAR EACH YEAR. THEY DO. AND THE DIFFERENCE THIS MAKES FOR THE KIDS AND IT BOOSTS THEIR CONFIDENCE. TELL ME WHAT IT’S LIKE WHEN YOU SEE A CHILD, SEE HIS OR HER COSTUME FOR THE FIRST TIME. SO JEN, YOU’RE GOING TO MAKE ME CRY. THE THERE IS NOTHING LIKE IT WHEN THEY WE THE FOUNDATION TEAM LAST YEAR BUILT A COSTUME FOR A LITTLE BOY NAMED JOSEPH HUGHES, WHO CAME AS BUZZ LIGHTYEAR, █AND WE BUILT HIM A BUZZ LIGHTYEAR SPACESHIP. AND HIS FACE WHEN HE SAW HIS BUZZ LIGHTYEAR AND WE PUT HIM IN, IT WAS JUST, I MEAN, IT IT WILL MAKE YOUR YEAR, IT WILL MAKE YOUR YEAR. BUT THEN TO LOOK AT MOM, I WAS JUST GOING TO SAY SO LIKE I’M A I’M A SPONTANEOUS CRIER. SO IF YOU CRY, I’M GOING TO CRY. BUT JUST THINKING ABOUT THE PARENTS TOO, WHAT THEY GO THROUGH TO MAKE THEIR CHILD HAPPY, THEY JUST WANT THEIR KID TO BE HAPPY, RIGHT? AND THEY WANT THEIR KID TO FEEL LIKE EVERY OTHER KID. AND SO WHEN THEY’RE ABLE TO SEE THEIR KID GET IN THEIR COSTUME LIKE THAT AND BE ABLE TO EXPERIENCE IT JUST LIKE EVERYBODY ELSE, IT’S GOT TO BE AMAZING. WELL, AND TO SEE THE COMMUNITY COME AROUND AND JUST SAY, WE VALUE YOU AND WE WANT YOU TO BE THE STAR OF THIS SHOW. IS IS IT’S THE BEST FEELING EVER. IT’S SO. AND THAT’S WHAT KEEPS YOU COMING BACK YEAR AFTER YEAR. SO WE WANT TO TELL PEOPLE AGAIN HOW THEY CAN SIGN UP FOR THIS, HOW THEY CAN GET THEIR THEIR CHILD SIGNED UP, BUT HOW THEY CAN SIGN UP TO VOLUNTEER. BECAUSE THIS IS A REALLY IT’S A FEEL GOOD THING. IT IS. IT’S GREAT. SO SIGN UP AT HCPL ONLINE.ORG I HAVE TO SAY THAT ALL OF THIS IS POSSIBLE THROUGH THE GENEROUS SUPPORT OF SPONSORSHIPS. ALSO, FANTASTIC INFORMATION ON OUR WEBSITE ABOUT HOW TO BECOME A SPONSOR. WE ALREADY HAVE THREE FABULOUS SPONSORS RG GROUP, COPPER MINE ATHLETIC CLUB, WHICH IS WHERE THE BUILD WILL BE TAKING PLACE THIS YEAR, AND THEN ALSO HARFORD CENTER IS COMING TO DO A BUILD TEAM AND TO SPONSOR FOR US AND ALL OF THE FUNDS GO TO BUILDING MATERIALS FOR THE COSTUMES AS WELL AS FEEDING OUR ARMY OF VOLUNTEERS. THAT’S RIGHT. THEY GOT TO KEEP THEIR STRENGTH UP. IT’S A BIG DAY. BIG TWO DAYS. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR COMING IN. RE