For $1 donation, Rio Wrap customers on Sashabaw Road put their name on a paper pumpkin and pasted it to the wall. With $713 in donations, pumpkins covered the walls from the front all the way to the back of the shop.
‘This means so much to see how many people supported St. Jude’s,? said Rachel Breckman, event marketing representative for St. Jude Children’s Hospital. ‘It’s just great.?
This is the first year the Independence Township location took part in the Halloween promotion, which ran Oct. 1-31.
‘It was fun,? said Clara Rayes, manager of Rio Wraps, 6325 Sashabaw Road. ‘Everybody helped out.?
‘Clara called Oct. 1 to ask for more pumpkins,? Breckman said. ‘They had sold out already ? amazing.?
St. Jude’s has organized Halloween fund raisers since 1992, raising about $33 million, Breckman said.
‘Fund raising is so important ? St. Jude’s daily operating cost is $1.2 million,? she said.
The hospital treats everyone regardless of insurance or ability to pay, she said.
‘Every single dollar, 100 percent, goes to the hospital,? she said. ‘We’re so thankful.?
Rio Wraps is planning another fundraiser, the Burrito Bowl, set for Feb. 1. The eating contest benefits the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, said Annie Yochim of Rio Wraps.
‘Michigan needs help,? Yochim said. ‘If we can help, hopefully others will catch on and help too ? becoming a chain reaction.?
Preliminary competitions, in which contestants eat mini-burritos, leading up to the main event, will be soon, she said.
‘Last year, the winner ate four one-pound burritos in 10 minutes,? she said.
St. Jude’s, founded by actor Danny Thomas in 1962 in Memphis, Tenn., treats patients from all over the country suffering with pediatric cancer and other childhood diseases. For more information on St. Jude’s, call 800-822-6344. For more information on Rio Wraps, call 248-625-6409.