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Officials with AnMed Health made the announcement on Thursday that they will not have its annual Spooktacular Halloween celebration on its East Greenville Street campus this year.
"While the original objective of Spooktacular was to provide a safe and healthy trick-or-treating environment for children, we feel that the event is no longer meeting that objective," a news release from AnMed Health stated. It also stated that safety concerns, brought on by the large crowds, as well as community feedback related to the harmful effects of candy on children's health led officials to cancel the event.
Officials also feel that they can focus their energies on other children's events such as the Baby Expo, the Teddy Bear Clinic and Camp Asthmania, which are more in line with the hospital system's mission of promoting a healthy community.
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brings tears to my eyes!
About time the hospital canceled that.
Again, let's allow the fantic minoity to tell us all how to raise our children. Those EVIL Candy Bars that are attacking kids daily...GIVE ME A BREAK!!
Parents, grow up and be responsible for your kids. If you take them Trick or Treating and let them devour the candy that night or in just a day or two, then you deserve a fat little munchkin.
Are we truely at a point in society that we can not think for ourselves any more?
"Big Brother" is taking care of us! They need the money that would have bought the candy for more parking spaces.
This has nothing to do with safety concerns, although it should, I witnessed several nasty events between older and younger children over the last several years. This has nothing to do with the health effects of candy, as another poster said, why not give out healthy treats as an educational opportunity. This is purely for financial reasons.
They may try and put a good spin on it to make it sound like they are looking out for the community, but Anmed is in the midst of a rather severe budget crunch at the moment. Every department's budget has been slashed, departments are being consolidated or eliminated, and there have already been some layoffs with rumors of more to come. You cannot honestly expect us to believe that with all of the current financial problems Anmed is having that this is for the safety of our children.
How is it safer to have children running around strange neighborhoods in the dark than in one central, well-lit location with hundreds of responsible adults to keep an eye on them? How is it better to let them get who knows what kind of candy in what kind of condition from who knows whom than to give them healthy yet enjoyable treats from respected and approved sources? How is it better to let children learn to get candy and treats from strangers than to teach them a proper diet and responsible snacks? I am sad for the residents of this community that Anmed has decided to once again lie to them and put its own selfish needs above those of the community.
I think it is a shame that they would cancel this. I know alot of children looked forward to this event. I agree with huzzah, this is for deeper reasons then healthy issues for the children. If that were the case then, as many readers have suggested, pass out healthy snacks like fruit bars, or something like that. This was a safe place for children and families to go. I also think it was very rude of AnMed to wait this close to Halloween to cancel it.
If people are so concerned with their kids health then why are so many children overweight/obese?
Kids are being diagnosed with fatty livers,high blood pressure, and type 2 diabetes and it's not because they eat Halloween candy ONCE A YEAR!
That's a pretty lame excuse Anmed.
Did any of you go to this event last year? The lines were horrible and the only thing my children go from it was a lesson in patience and how to bite your tongue. There were people encouraging their children to break on line, push and shove. Many acting like their kids have never had candy and wanted all they could get for free. I know I don't want my kids exposed to this. I hate there is no organized activities for our children. I myself will be visiting the local churches who have "trunk or treat."
My daughter looks forward to this event every year. I would much rather let her trick or treat here than anywhere else. I don't event let my child trick or treat in our neighborhood unless I know the people very well who live in the house we are trick or treating at. If it is a financial problem I would be more than happy to make monetary donation at the begining of the line to help out with costs. I believe the cancelation of this event is more than finances.
in response to huzzah
You hit the nail on the head! I am glad they canceled this. Too bad for the kids, but the priority of Anmed right now needs to be on patient care, not trick or treating.
Hellooo wake up people it's not money or health issues.... it is the frigging gangbangers & thugs and redneck imbreeders that show up pushing and shoving lookin for something for nothing... who wants to give to the community when they get treated badly? You may not like what I said but it's the truth...all of you that have been there know what im talking about.
Ah, yes.... take the candy away & watch the scum rise...
Some times it's best to publicize one simple truth - that Spooktacular has strayed far from the mission - rather than try to explain the other, less appealing but still true facts. The event has been infiltrated by teens & 20's with the manners of pigs at a trough. Many of the actual children are little pigs in training - push your way to the trough, trample anything you can, eat your fill & scamper off - while mommy beams her approval of Jr's success.
The costumes make it only slightly more appealing than watching their impatient parents waiting in the ED to have a hangnail removed.
If thuds & rednecks are showing up and showing out, they need to cancel it. Parents, especially in small towns, shouldn't expect small business to supply candy galore either. Have you priced candy lately? It really hits small business hard & usually they see no future monetary benefits from it either. There are alternatives out there if you would look. Many churches & organizations have events. I enjoyed trick or treating when I was young, but times have changed. It is not safe in most areas of the county. Be creative & come up something else. Be thankful AnMed has put up with the rude crowds as long as they have. Sounds like it wasn't too safe to go their anyway!
halloween is a childs holiday.. what are we supposed to do now... go door to door again and pray our child doesnt die... or just go to the store and buy a bag of candy and be like here ya go.. sorry.
Nothing is safe in anderson anymore... the soiree was a good example of that.. the stupid people in this town have to ruin every family friendly event. And im' so sorry pink... but a handful of employees from Anmed taking a couple hours out of the year to provide a safe fun time for our children isnt a problem... its a blessing if that... at least they cared enough to do it in the first place...
I am a mother who is thankful for somewhere safe for my children to go on halloween. And now i get to try to find something else for them to do......
If Anmed would get rid of some of its high paid top guns, maybe they could afford more. It is sad that this hospital with all it 3000 workers is so broke. But, this area is not exactly wealthy, so they had to start somewhere. Too bad for the children, if they enjoyed it. But, Mr.Miller needs to buy more property!!
in response to 1cockychick
You nailed the reason! Take your kids to some of the church related events ro just take them to people's homes that you know. Problem solved. It is not the hospital's responsibility to host this event anyway...never was, it was jsut a community relations event that they have now cancelled due to behaviour!
in response to Gb33z_Angel
"And im' so sorry pink... but a handful of employees from Anmed taking a couple hours out of the year to provide a safe fun time for our children isnt a problem... its a blessing if that... at least they cared enough to do it in the first place."
Let me explain. I wasn't talking about the TIME the employees took. I was talking about the MONEY. Anmed spent a fortune on this event, and right now that money could be better spent on patient care, which includes increased staffing. Trust me, I know first hand.
On an added note, I agree with waiting. It's not the hospital's responsibility to host this. People should be thankful that it was around as long as it was. Ask another large company in Anderson to host it.
Trick or Treating is NOT dangerous...that is a myth, people. Children that are poisoned are poisoned by people they know, usually by a relative. Learn the truth instead of freaking out about how dangerous something is.
I don't think it is the responsibility of Anmed to sponsor this but it was great while it lasted. Maybe if they were to offer healthier products to distribute then the thugs and rough necks wouldn't show up. If they wouldn't offer candy and such, the older kids that shouldn't even be trick or treating anyway wouldn't show up. Healthier products = less thugs and rough necks. Do you know any of your local thugs or rough necks that like to eat healthy? Get rid of the thugs and feed our non-thug kids healthier products. It's a win win situation.
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