JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Ten children who rely on wheelchairs were in for a surprise when they set their eyes on their personalized Halloween costumes for the first time.
The Wednesday afternoon reveal celebration marked the 10th anniversary of RS&H, an architectural firm, and Centers of Independent Living (CIL) Jacksonville community initiative to give back.
Recommended Videos
More than 100 volunteers made the event possible by dedicating their time to designing, cutting, assembling, painting, and decorating the costumes. The materials, estimated to cost around $700 per costume, were donated by a local plumbing company.
Hope wanted to honor her late cousin, Brynley, who was diagnosed with leukemia before her first birthday and passed away one month before turning 3 years old.
Lara Tillman, Hope’s mother, said that when they saw Hope’s costume, it blew their expectations away.
Hope, who wanted to dress as “Poppy” from Trolls for Halloween, received a stylish Dune Huggy vehicle that Poppy drives in the Trolls TV series.
“She loves to trick or treat so this will make it a lot easier for her,” Tillman said.
She added that Hope’s dog, Maxx, also likes to tag along for fun, so he will also get a costume.
Some other styles that hit the scene included Cars, Pokémon, Mario Kart, and Mickey Mouse.
PREVIOUS STORY: 7-year-old girl honoring late cousin with unique Halloween costume; 2 Jacksonville groups helping make it happen
Brandon Pourch is an architect with RS&H who has been leading this effort for 10 years now.
He said he was inspired to start designing the wheelchair costumes after he saw a YouTube video that showed a father building Halloween costumes for his two sons in wheelchairs.
“I thought I could do the same thing in this community and serve others,” Pourch said. “I was spending 50 hours building my own Halloween costume, but I thought I could do better than that and serve the community with these skills.”
As the tradition continues, Pourch said it brings him joy to see the children‘s excitement when they get their costumes. It’s a feeling he described as letting the children become “the star of the show.”
“I think the company is amazing,” Tillman said. “Brandon is awesome. He came out to our house and fitted her frame around her wheelchair. It was very nice working with him.”
Aaron Lewis, development manager for the CIL, has also seen the event‘s growth since its inception.
He said it‘s a rewarding feeling to see the children’s faces light up with enthusiasm and only encourage them to push the limits.
“Even the creations that we made were kind of astonished by that as well because it makes us very creative,” Lewis said.
For Lewis, this event has a deeper meaning that extends his appreciation for giving back.
“It makes us feel really good, especially being an able-bodied person, you take for granted some things that you normally just don’t even think about, you know, going trick or treating and just being able to walk the sidewalk with no obstruction,” he said.
Sophia Absher got a Ghostbuster car.
“She has not stopped smiling since she saw the car. Then after they put it on her, she really couldn‘t stop smiling,” said Sophia’s grandmother, Kathy Absher.
“I couldn‘t say enough good things. Never been involved with them until this and they’ve all been so thoughtful of everything,” Absher said. “I just want to thank everyone involved, the people that were building it, the volunteers that worked on it, the people that donated their time, everything. It was just a beautiful thing to do.”
The architects started the costume projects in September, and according to Lewis, they were putting on the finishing touches until an hour before the big reveal.
To donate or learn more about putting your skills to use as a volunteer, visit ciljacksonville.org.