Spirit Halloween, the nation's largest Halloween retailer, launched "Spirit of Children" in 2006, a program created to bring Halloween to hospitals and rehabilitation centers for kids. The goal? To help make these places a little less scary. Indeed, volunteer employees assist partner hospitals with Halloween-themed celebrations complete with costumes, décor and activities like costume parades.

Since its launch, Spirit of Children has generated more than $2.3 million in cash and merchandise for hospitals across the U.S. with funding coming from money raised year-round in stores and online at SpiritHalloween.com.

(READ the story in the USA Today)