The Life Care Center of Valparaiso hosted its annual Trunk or Treat event on Thursday, October 26. Residents had the opportunity to celebrate Halloween festivities with hot dogs, candy, and costumes. This year, the theme of "Wizard of Oz” for the event.
“The planning for this started months ago, and the whole team pulled together to be different characters,” said Angela Monaghan, Director of Business Development at Life Care Center of Valparaiso. “We brought the theme to life for our community because we feel that there is no place like Life Care Center of Valparaiso.”
Similar to the movie, the event was part of what the center does to make its residents feel at home. It was also an opportunity for residents to meet their neighbors as dozens of kids and their families came.
“They feel like they are helping the community, and they feel like they're doing something cool,” said Monaghan. “That's what we want. We want them to still feel a part of the neighborhood because this is their community. This is their home, so they want to feel like they're doing something for the community.”
Events like Thursdays are also exciting for the residents of the center. It gives them some fun things to do and talk about.
“They were all in the hallway because they couldn’t wait to see what the staff dressed up as,” said Monaghan. “They were just waiting around to see all of the kids and what the trunks were decorated as.”
Adorning the parking lot were vendors with treats and decorations. Kelly Dooley, hospice consultant for Southern Care Hospice, was the first vendor to sign up with the Life Care Center of Valparaiso. He partnered with the center to provide a photo booth.
“I really like to partner with our facilities in the area,” said Dooley. “When we were talking about this event coming up, I offered to set up a photo booth for everybody who comes to visit. I really just want to make sure that people are having a great time.”
People were having a great time whether it was trick or treating, watching the ‘Wizard of Oz’ or enjoying the food. With such a fun event, the staff brought their own family and friends to come join the fun. Jessica Compass has a mother who works at the Life Care Center of Valparaiso, but the fun keeps her and her kids coming back each year.
“I come because everybody puts on a good display, and my kids have a lot of fun,” said Compass. “I love this place, and everybody who works here is so genuine.”
Providing a fun night for the neighborhood is just a piece of what Life Care Center of Valparaiso does for the community. They also work with Living Hope Church to provide meals, and they do donation drives for places like the Humane Society. Both staff and residents work together to help provide necessities to help the community.
“We're not just about our community, we're about our neighborhood,” said Monaghan. “We really want people to feel like we are a part of it. That's why we host different things and we want them to come and have fun.”
For more information on the Life Care Center of Valparaiso, please visit lcca.com/locations/in/valparaiso/.