Halloween Hop hauls in donations

As children in western Manitoba head out for a night of trick-or-treating, Brandon’s annual Halloween Hop fundraisers have already brought home some big hauls.

Roughly $24,500 has been raised as part of the haunted house in Livingstone Outdoor’s greenhouse, with one night still left to go, Ashley Taron of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Westman told the Sun Thursday.

The event saw about 30 volunteers on the floor at a time, and Taron said the charity is deeply grateful for all the community helpers and sponsors that made it possible.

“We can’t thank the community enough for their support,” she said.

The Green Spot’s straw-bale maze fundraiser saw about 137 donations and 300 visits so far this year, staff member Shannon Russo told the Sun.

Almost $700 had been raised by the straw-bale maze as of Thursday, said Russo. The donations will go to Habitat for Humanity in Brandon.

“What better way to bring our community together than to support our community?” Russo said.

“Considering it is the first year, I’m honestly just happy hearing people come through the greenhouse, and kids giggle,” she said.

Rounding out the three Halloween Hop participating businesses, Alternative Choice Garden Centre will donate the proceeds from its attractions — a haunted greenhouse selfie station, storybook corner and game zone — to Westman Dreams for Kids. The company couldn’t be reached Thursday for an update on the amount of money raised so far.

Meanwhile, for trick-or-treaters who plan to take to the street tonight, Manitoba Public Insurance has issued a reminder to put safety first.

That means looking every way before crossing the street, never crossing between parked cars, using corners and crosswalks to cross the street, and wearing reflective clothing.

MPI said it has provided more than 86,000 flashing safety lights to children from kindergarten to Grade 6.

“Halloween is meant to be a night of fun, so let’s work together to keep it that way and get all our children home safely,” MPI vice-president Maria Campos said in a news release Thursday.

“This night is a great opportunity to talk to kids about road safety and show them that we all have a part to play.”

MPI also had some safety tips for motorists this Halloween — slow down, especially when children are around, be prepared to stop at a moment’s notice, and stop and yield right-of-way to all pedestrians about to cross at marked and unmarked crosswalks.

» cmcdowell@brandonsun.com