Trick or Treat for UNICEF

Oct 28, 2010 | Stacy Matson | Celebrity Health

Working with UNICEF made me grow up and recognize how fortunate I am - Roger Moore

Let me tell you a story... Many, many years ago on a cold, dark night in a small town in Pennsylvania a woman sat in her house running her fingers through a small bowl of coins. The sound of muffled footsteps and screaming children filled her ears and goblins, ghosts, and ghouls were everywhere she looked! Suddenly there was a knock at her door!!! Slowly it creaked open and there…standing before her… a child holding out his hands, thrusting a small box in her face. Then, finally, the words she’d been waiting all day to hear...Trick or Treat!  Would you like to donate to UNICEF???  

That’s how it all started. 60 years ago Mary Emma Allison and her husband Clyde Allison, a minister, were trying to raise money for UNICEF and she came up with the idea to have kids go trick-or-treating for money instead of candy. That Halloween, and with a small group of pint sized volunteers, the Allison’s raised $17 dollars and donated it to UNICEF to buy powdered-milk for needy families.   

Years later, the tradition is still going strong.  Each Halloween, costumed kids hit the streets on a mission to collect equal parts money and candy. They canvas neighborhoods all across the nation with a candy bucket in one hand and a UNICEF box in the other. To date, Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF has raised almost $160 million dollars.  And with that money UNICEF has saved more children's lives than any other humanitarian organization in the world. UNICEF provides medical care, clean water, AIDS education, food, schooling, and emergency relief to children in crisis in more than 150 countries.  

Since UNICEF began there has been an impressive list of celebrity ambassadors and supporters: President John F. Kennedy, Eleanor Roosevelt, Danny Kaye, Katie Couric, Clay Aiken, Laurence Fishburne, Sarah Jessica Parker, Claudia Schiffer, and Liv Tyler.  And if you have young children you’ll probably recognize this year’s ambassador, Selena Gomez, from Disney Channel’s The Wizards of Waverly Place.  Selena, 18, was first appointed UNICEF Ambassador in 2009 making her the youngest ambassador in UNICEF’s history.  

Since becoming an Ambassador Selena has visited Ghana and Haiti, filmed PSA’s, and is currently hard at work promoting the Trick-or-Treat campaign.  Selena says, “I believe that everyone can make a difference and [I] want young people to make Halloween count this year by Trick-or-Treating for UNICEF to help children around the world.”  

Selena has had a busy year: she made her film debut in Ramona & Beezus this summer, she’s working on her second album, and she continues with her role in the Wizards of Waverly Place. Yet, she remains dedicated to her commitment as a UNICEF Ambassador and proves that no matter how young you are, you can make a difference in the life of a child.   

60 years ago American children, from toddlers to teens, began a tradition of giving that has changed the world.  Why not be a part of it yourself?  There are several ways to get involved, but time is running out. You can order boxes online, pick-up boxes at Toys ‘R’ Us or Babies ‘R’ Us, trick-or-treat for UNICEF online, download UNICEF’s new iPhone app, or text “TOT” to 864233 to make a donation.  


Stacy Matson, a health enthusiast from Southern California, regularly blogs on Celebrity Health for A Healthier World, as well as contributing to the Best of the Best.

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