Hundreds of Southern Nevada families touched by childhood cancer traded hospital waiting rooms for trunk-or-treating on the Las Vegas Grand Prix track this week. The Candlelighters Childhood Cancer Foundation of Nevada hosted its 28th Annual Halloween Bash at Grand Prix Plaza, bringing together 480 children diagnosed with cancer and their siblings along with 886 family members for an evening of costumes, carnival games and a break from treatment schedules.
The private event, held Thursday night, unfolded on part of the Las Vegas Strip Circuit that normally hosts Formula 1 cars, according to KSNV. Families moved between trunk-and-treat stations, carnival games, rides, music and food, with prizes handed out along the way. Candlelighters partnered with Ellis Island Casino & Hotel and the Ellis family to put the celebration together.
A Night Away From Treatment
Organizers said the point of the evening goes beyond costumes and candy. The bash allows families navigating childhood cancer to enjoy Halloween together, connect with others who understand their experiences and take a break from the demands of treatment, according to the same report from KSNV. For many of the families in attendance, that kind of normalcy is rare.
Candlelighters' broader Quality of Life Programs are built around that same idea, aiming to ease the isolation many families feel while coping with a diagnosis, per the organization's own activities page. The Halloween Bash itself is reserved for families whose diagnosed child or bereaved siblings are 12 or younger, and the trunk-or-treat event is open only to Candlelighters families, according to the nonprofit's event listing.
Volunteers Who Grew Up With the Bash
Two of the night's volunteers have a personal history with the event that stretches back nearly three decades. Susie Garrison and Ted Wiens have been part of the Halloween Bash since they were children 28 years ago, the station's report notes, now returning as volunteers to help run the very celebration they once attended as kids.
Ellis Island's involvement traces back to a family business with deep Las Vegas roots. The Ellis family has operated Ellis Island Hotel & Casino since 1968, and Anamarie Ellis currently serves as the property's vice president of operations, according to a profile from VEGAS INC.
Candlelighters had said ahead of time that it planned to host its 28th annual Halloween Bash this October for children facing childhood cancer and their families, per the nonprofit's own activities page. The organization's prior Halloween celebration, the year before, included more than 375 children alongside trunk-or-treating, games and rides, a separate figure the group has posted on its site.
