Pumpkins, goblins and ghosts filled the hallways of FirstHealth Richmond Memorial Hospital in Rockingham on Wednesday as students of the Cordova School went trick-or-treating for Halloween goodies.
Hospital staff decorated doors and donned costumes to help the students celebrate the annual tradition.
According to Cordova School Principal Bonnilee Rhodes, more than 70 attended the event this year.
“Every year the kids absolutely love to go,” she said. “A lot of our kids are nonverbal but you can just see in the expressions on their faces that they like getting out and going. For the girls and guys whose parents don’t take them out (on Halloween) … this is their opportunity to go and do like their peers do, and it really makes them fit in better in their eyes.”
Rhodes said the school was very appreciative of the support that it received from FirstHealth Richmond Memorial Hospital, and said she was hopeful that the hospital would continue to keep the program alive.
Hospital staff handed out candy on Wednesday morning in brightly colored costumes and greeted students as they moved through the hallways.
According to Liane York, director of human resources at FirstHealth, 15 departments participated in the event this year, competing in door and pumpkin decorating contests and a costume contest.
The competitions are judged according to AIDET standards, a training program all hospital staff members are required to implement.
“The staff does such a great job,” York said, “not just caring for patients, but also entertaining.”
— Staff Writer Mallory Brown can be reached at 910-997-3111, ext. 18, or by email at mallorybrown@heartlandpublications.com.
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