Planning is under way for the Munroe-Meyer Institute’s 2021 Trunk or Treat event.
The event will be held on Oct. 24 from 2-4 p.m. in the parking lot of the MMI building at 6902 Pine St., and organizers are calling for interested community partners to join in.
The Trunk or Treat event, first held in the parking lot of the MI building on the UNMC campus in 2017, has quickly become one of the institute’s signature events. MMI and UNMC staff, as well as community partners and student groups, dress in costumes and decorate the trunks of their cars so families of children with intellectual and developmental disabilities can enjoy a sensory-friendly, accessible trick-or-treating experience. Many groups who could not attend donated items to share with trick or treaters.
"We are recruiting more community partners and organizations to participate this fall," said Jacqueline Hankins-Berry, the event organizer for MMI. "Last year’s drive-through event featured 20 trunks and attracted more than 400 visitors. Our goal is to make it even bigger this year."
Special Olympics Nebraska (SONE) is one of the community partner organizations that has staffed trunks at the event. Alisa Hoffman of SONE said the organization enjoys participating in Trunk of Treat and other inclusive events in the community.
"It provides a safe, family-friendly environment that all families can enjoy without stressing about if they will fit in or worry about their child’s uniqueness being an issue," Hoffman said. "We like to help spread the word of inclusion and acceptance through community events and give back to our community."
"This is an exciting, fun and rewarding event," Hankins-Berry said. "To make this event even more successful, we need members of the UNMC and MMI community, as well as community organizations and groups, to join us — get a head start by signing up to participate and start designing costumes and trunks that will wow our participants."
For information on participating in the event as a community partner, contact Hankins-Berry.