Minions and Cookie Monsters. Witches and zombies. Polar bears, puppets and jesters.
And winter coats. Lots of winter coats.
The 2020 edition of the Munroe-Meyer Institute’s Trunk or Treat was very different from previous events, with a drive-through format and safety measures designed to keep participants safe in an era of COVID-19. But the spirit of the event remained the same.
“Thank you so much for doing this,” one mother said as she drove past a trunk decorated as a graveyard.
“This just makes me so happy,” said a little boy from the back of a car as it rolled past a series of colorfully decorated vehicles.
Approximately 400 visitors and 100 volunteers took part in the event, which was held in the parking lot of the new MMI building at 6902 Pine St.
“The MMI staff and the community supporters were amazing,” said Karoly Mirnics, MD, PhD, director of MMI. “It was bitterly cold outside, but it was worth it! The smiles on the faces of the kids in the cars were priceless, and we are extremely pleased that we were able to provide some much-needed distraction and fun in these challenging times.”
Jaqueline Hankins, an event organizer, helped lay out a route so cars could pass by each decorated trunk with easy entrance and exit to the event, which was held in the parking lot of MMI’s soon-to-be new home, near the University of Nebraska at Omaha’s Aksarben campus..
“I am proud of how MMI’s staff and our community partners helped keep the spirit of Halloween going for the patients and families that MMI serves,” Hankins said.
“Given the threat of ice and snow, we were elated that so many families chose to join us,” said Melonie Welsh, MMI director of community engagement. “We know that 2020 has universally been a challenging year. We felt it was critical to provide this opportunity for fun to the families and the volunteers — as long as we could offer a safe environment. We loved being able to continue the impactful MMI tradition at our new building.”
Welsh said the 2020 Trunk or Treat demonstrated the dedication, passion and focus the team at MMI has for the community it serves.
“Numerous community partners, friends and colleagues joined together to make a tangible difference in the lives of the families we serve,” she said. “The challenges presented by the weather seemed minimal when you heard countless children and their caregivers tell us how much they appreciated us being there for them.”