MARION, OH (MARION COUNTY NOW)—The Marion County Board of Developmental Disabilities will hold its Drive-Thru Trick-or-Treat on October 14th from 4:30 p.m. until 6:30 p.m. at the Marion County Board of Developmental Disabilities.
The event invites people to get into the Halloween spirit, wear their costumes, and come out and get some candy.
Nicole Workman, Director of Communications for the Marion County Board of Developmental Disabilities, says that the event first happened during COVID-19. Afterward, the Board realized the event worked really well for the community.
“When it started, we realized it actually worked really well with our population,” says Workman. “We have people who may wander off or are runners, we have people who have social anxiety and don’t really like crowds, and we have people of all ages who want to dress up and participate in trick-or-treat, so we kept it as a drive-through,” said Workman.
The Drive-Thru Trick-or-Treat is completely free and is open to all ages and abilities. Workman says having an event where people of all abilities can participate means a lot.
“I love it. It’s our most popular event, and it’s really the biggest event where I see the entire community showing up,” said Workman. “It just feels good to know that the community learns about us and knows we’re here and that people of all ages can participate with no judgment,” said Workman.
The Marion County Board of Developmental Disabilities currently has 52 treat stations for the event and is still looking for more. Businesses, agencies, providers and friends of the board are all welcome to help out.
Workman says she hopes the biggest takeaway for families from the event is learning more about the Marion County Board of Developmental Disabilities and what is available to the community.
“A big part of our mission is to just make sure that people with developmental disabilities are just included right in every single activity, and this is a great example of that. I just want them to know who we are, why it’s important that we do the work that we do, and why it’s important for them to support the work that we do,” says Workman.
Those interested in setting up a treat station can call the Marion County Board of Developmental Disabilities at 740-375-6122 and ask for Nicole Workman.