Calgary storage centre partnership offering spooktacular Halloween event for special needs children

The weekend before Halloween was a chance for many to wear their costumes twice for an indoor trick-or-treat event and a fun run.

Hundreds of children with disabilities and special needs enjoyed a night of spooky fun Saturday at a special indoor trick or treat event in southeast Calgary.

The free spooky spectacular event, hosted by Bluebird Self-Storage in the southeast, was the result of a partnership between the storage centre, the Great White Car Wash and a non-profit, Rise and Shine Adult Programs.

Great White marketing manager Michael Campana said the idea arose out of a conversation with the folks from Rise and Shine made clear that there was a lack of events for people with special needs.

His car wash, which has a number of locations across Calgary, Edmonton and Airdrie, are big believers in building community, he said.

“We’re community-focused and like to do events a lot and just be part of our community,” Campana said, “because without our community, we’re nothing – so this was just a no-brainer for us."

Great White Car Wash hosts an annual Stampede breakfast, Campana said, as well as car meets and are top sponsors of a variety of animal rescue foundation events including their Walk and Wag events.

Saturday’s event was the first spooky spectacular, so predicting the turnout was challenging.

“We were expecting 150-200,” Campana said, “but as you can see, the turnout has been amazing.”

“We got a lot more than we were expecting – (in the) 500 range.

“The amount of appreciation we’ve been getting from parents, thanking us for setting up an event for children with special needs, it’s been heartwarming. We couldn’t be happier.”

With files from CTV’s Drew Miller