South Florida Sun-Sentinel Palm Beach (Sunday)
Pediatric therapists rally to organize safe Trunk or Treat during pandemic
Trunk or Trunk events have become increasingly popular to celebrate Halloween in recent years, but the COVID-19 pandemic made some of them the only events this year due to social distancing.
Progressive Pediatric Therapy in Lake Worth had its first Trunk or
Treat for families it serves and the community at its location at 3898 Poinciana Drive, Suite 17 on Halloween morning.
“Many of the children we serve struggle to participate in traditional Halloween activities normally due to sensory processing concerns, developmental delays or mobility challenges, and then to add COVID-19 on top of that puts some of the medically fragile children or those with preexisting conditions we work with at a higher risk,” said Teresa Hans, event organizer and occupational therapist with Progressive Pediatric Therapy. “We wanted to provide our families, and ourselves, with an opportunity to participate in this Halloween tradition in a way that we could ensure safety for all.”
After pitching the idea to the office, Hans said 10 therapists immediately wanted to participate. They registered over 200 guests in advance with 17 decorated trunks and an ice cream truck showing up.
“We had already been implementing safe, best practices in our clinic based on CDC recommendations to reduce risk for COVID-19 transmission, so we applied those same best practices to setting up our trunk or treat. The end result was more than we could have hoped for,” she said. “Our staff came together on a volunteer basis and had a wonderful time, and the families who participated felt safe and enjoyed themselves. It was great getting to see many of our families we serve in person, even while socially distanced, for the first time since the start of COVID-19, and this event really gave everyone something to look forward to and lift our spirits up during a time when those moments are a little harder to come by.”