Halloween houses across Connecticut raise money for kids with cancer through ‘Skeletons for St. Jude’

When Annie Tomlin decorated her yard for Halloween, she put up a new addition next to the ghosts and reaper — a poster asking passersby to consider donating to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

Months earlier, while scrolling through social media for Halloween inspiration, she came across Skeletons for St. Jude, a campaign of more than 400 decorators across the country who raise money for children’s cancer research by including a QR code donation sign in their Halloween displays.

“I thought it was a wonderful way to transform our Halloween decorating into something more meaningful,” Tomlin said.

Halloween enthusiasts across Connecticut have joined the new national campaign that turns Halloween decorating into a fundraising opportunity for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. This spooky season, Skeletons for St. Jude decorations are on display in Brooklyn, Enfield, Hartford, Naugatuck, Plainville, Southington, Stamford, Voluntown and West Hartford.

“It’s fun to decorate, but it’s also really nice to feel like your work is festive but also beneficial,” Tomlin said. “For St. Jude to treat sick kids who have cancer and very difficult pediatric diseases at no cost to the families, to house them, to basically take that stress away, I think is such a noble mission. I’m hoping that, at the very least, we can help people in the community see the kind of work they do, and if people want to help support their work, that would be very exciting.”

When the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital opened its doors 60 years ago in Memphis, Tennessee, the survival rate for childhood cancer was 20%. Today, the survival rate is more than 80%, according to the St. Jude website.

The hospital serves more than 8,000 children each year. According to St. Jude, pediatric cancer treatments can last years and cost an average of $425,000, with treatments surpassing $1 million for some patients. St. Jude covers the cost of treatment, housing, food and travel for all of its families.

Jeff Robertson, a retired army officer, started Skeletons for St. Jude with his family as a Facebook fundraiser and family Halloween display outside their home in Holly Springs, North Carolina.

Robertson’s elaborate decorations ended up on the local news. A week later, he got a visit from a St. Jude family who saw the TV news special. The parents were brought to tears.

“I looked in the back seat of their car, and there was a little girl. She was maybe 2 or 3 years old, and it was obvious that she had been going through treatment. She didn’t have any hair on her head — a beautiful little girl. And all the adults were losing it, and this little girl is grinning from ear to ear at these skeletons we had. And I said she’s going through a really rough time, but these little ridiculous skeletons are putting a smile on her face,” Robertson said.

After that moment, Robertson and his family decided to make Skeletons for St. Jude an annual, national fundraiser. In 2021, the campaign raised more than $150,000 for St. Jude.

“They started popping up across the United States. It was pretty powerful and it just kind of reinforced that we got to keep doing this,” Robertson said. “It shows how many people love St. Jude and how gracious folks are. The support has been tremendous.”

Danielle Afonso of Plainville was one of three Skeletons for St. Jude participants from Connecticut who joined the campaign in its first year in 2021.

She offered a tour of her family’s enormous display in a shirt that said “Skelly’s save lives.”

“I saw a [Skeletons for St. Jude] Facebook group and thought ‘Why not?’” Afonso said. “[It’s about] caring for the kids and the families.”

Afonso’s collection of 12-foot skeletons, a 15-foot phantom, a flying witch, and countless other goblins and ghouls, caught the attention of Eddy Fritz of Plainville and Jerrod Delagrave of Southington.

Fritz and Delagrave put up their first Skeletons for St. Jude Halloween displays this year and started a Facebook page, J&E Hauntings, to create a map of local homes where residents can see Halloween decorations and promote Skeletons for St. Jude. The current list has about 30 houses, mostly in Plainville and Southington.

“Once I got the information on [Skeletons for St. Jude] and did a little quick research I was like, ‘Yeah, we definitely got to do this.’ Because at least now, we got a purpose other than just showing [our decorations] off for our towns. Now, we’re actually raising awareness too,” Fritz said. “We’re kind of a team working together and trying to grow and get bigger and bigger.”

To find local homes participating in Skeletons for St. Jude, visit the J&E Hauntings Facebook page.

Alison Cross can be reached at across@courant.com.