Wanamaker’s endured for over 130 years. Not only was it one of the first department stores in the country, but it was also the birthplace of a whole other legacy. One of its original locations was Center City, Philadelphia, and it is there that a librarian by the name of Mary Emma Allison envisioned a new take on trick-or-treating. What if children helped other children on Halloween by collecting donations instead of candy? 1950 was the year that her idea first came to fruition; Allison’s Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF didn’t take long to be adopted by the organization itself and has now endured for 71 years.
Every Halloween, children carry the iconic orange boxes and to this day have collected millions of dollars for UNICEF with the support of parents, celebrities, and organizations. In 1950, just a little less than $20 was raised. It is a perfect example of how having a dream to make a difference, and seeing it through to the end, can lead to bigger outcomes than you could ever imagine.
While the COVID-19 pandemic placed a pause on many of our lives, it could not stop people from partaking in Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF in safe and socially distant ways. There were online fundraising campaigns that children could share with contacts — and later decide themselves how they wanted their donations to be used (options included going towards vaccines and masks).
But it isn’t just school-aged children who can collect donations. The dozens of UNICEF college chapters across the country regularly come up with great ways to Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF without going door-to-door. Last year, UNICEF UMD partnered with local small businesses for a raffle to raise money. The same month, we also participated in the Boston UNICEF Halloween Bash, a Zoom event of music, fun, and games.
This year, with vaccinations and an indoor mask mandate on campus, UNICEF UMD will be hosting an in-person event. We have planned a Pumpkin Painting Night and Bake Sale, so stay tuned to our social media for updates and reflections on that. All funds raised will support ACT-A, the Global Access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator, and will help UNICEF, the largest purchaser of vaccines each year, to procure and distribute COVID-19 vaccines to communities around the world. Join us in helping to globally increase COVID-19 diagnoses, therapeutics, vaccines, and community engagement, all from the borders of our home at UMD.
Here’s to 71 years of Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF.
