Children's Wisconsin patients and their families browsed racks of free Halloween costumes at an on-site shop inside the Milwaukee hospital on Wednesday, part of a partnership designed to bring a bit of holiday normalcy to kids navigating illness and treatment. The costumes, all donated, gave young patients a chance to pick out something fun to wear even while stuck in the hospital during trick-or-treat season.
Every costume on the racks was free, donated by Spirit Halloween through its Spirit of Children program, according to CBS58, which reported that Milwaukee patients and their families stopped by the on-site costume shop to make their picks. The giveaway is tied to a broader partnership in which Children's Wisconsin and Spirit Halloween are teaming up to raise money for the hospital's Child Life program, according to a report from WSAW.
The Costume Shop event ran in two sessions Wednesday, from 10 a.m. to noon and again from 1 to 3 p.m., per the same report. Patients aren't done celebrating yet, either — an in-hospital trick-or-treat event exclusively for patients is scheduled for 1:30 to 3 p.m. Friday in the Milwaukee hospital's West Tower lobby, the station noted.
Where the Donations Go
The fundraising push extends well beyond the costume racks. Donations at 14 participating Spirit Halloween stores across Wisconsin will support Child Life services at Children's Wisconsin's Milwaukee hospital and its Neenah clinic, the station's report states. That funding supports staff, sensory and educational items, and spaces such as playrooms and teen lounges, according to the same account.
Shoppers looking to pitch in don't need deep pockets. Donations start at $1 and can be made online or in-store at the 14 participating stores across the state, according to a separate report from WBAY, which noted the fundraiser has now returned for its 20th year.
This isn't the first time Children's Wisconsin has turned a hospital hallway into a costume shop. The event marked the third consecutive year of the tradition as of 2025, according to a prior CBS 58 report, and last year's version included nearly 125 donated costumes along with a lobby trick-or-treat event held on Friday, Oct. 31.
A Local Campaign Tied to a National Push
Locally, Spirit of Children raised more than $118,069 for Children's Wisconsin last year, and the program has brought in more than $726,200 for the health system since 2009, according to WSAW's reporting. This year, the campaign hopes to raise $150,000 locally.
The Milwaukee effort is one piece of a much larger national campaign. Spirit of Children is pursuing a $20 million fundraising goal for the 2026 Halloween season and plans to support 167 pediatric hospitals across North America, according to a release distributed via PR Newswire. Since the program began fundraising in 2007, it has raised more than $164 million and distributed more than 500,000 donated costumes to partner hospitals, the release states.
For families spending Halloween week inside a hospital rather than out on their own block, the costume shop and the upcoming trick-or-treat event offer a small but meaningful substitute for the holiday — one built on donations that start at a single dollar and add up, year after year, to something bigger for the kids who need it most.
