Halloween Eve is one of those times when the veil between two worlds is thin. The roaming spirits cast their vengeance on the black velvet night while the iconic kids show Wonderama, The Times Square Alliance, One Times Square and UNICEF (synonymous with Halloween) sets the scene that preludes the haunting celebration with the biggest Halloween Parade ll in the middle of Times Scare New York where the four corners of the planet meet. 

UNICEF and Halloween have been associated together for nearly 70 years. UNICEF USA provides help to children of the Ukraine and other countries engaged in conflict. They won’t stop until every child is healthy, educated, protected and respected. They relentlessly pursue a better world for every child. In a conversation with Shelly Diamond, the Chief Marketing Officer for UNICEF USA and Tom Walker the Creative Director for UNICEF USA, we learned more about the organization and how people can help support its very special cause….

So UNICEF USA is here at Times Square with Chuck Armstrong CEO of Wonderama and Host David Osmond for the Biggest Halloween Parade on the Planet and you both look super excited…

Shelly: Yes, first of all it’s going to be an amazing show and Unicef is so proud of the work that we do. So amplifying the work and raising money for all the children around the world makes us excited every day.

Tom you were with Wonderama last year for the celebration which was more virtual because of Covid. How do you compare this year’s festivities? 

Tom: Well it’s fantastic to do this in person. It’s a beautiful day for a parade today. It’s Halloweenie eve and this is a chance for everybody to add some meaning to their Halloweening. We’ve got people out here celebrating and it’s a fantastic thing to do to Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF whether you’re a kid, whether you’re an adult, anybody. So, we are really excited to be here.

Shelly as Chief Markey Officer for UNICEF USA what are some of your responsibilities?

Shelly: Our Job is really to build, protect, and  amplify the Unicef brand. UNICEF has been around for 75 years and probably does more to help the world’s children than any other humanitarian organization in working for children around the world. Sadly, what is happening now between the post pandemic affect, Ukraine war and the drought in the Horn of Africa that’s causing severe malnutrition, the worlds’ children need our help now more than ever before. It’s our job to let the world know, to build the awareness of the American public and let them know they can do something to help, no matter if it’s a penny for trick-or-treating or if they happen to work for a large corporation. If they would like to partner with us we would be thrilled to work with you. 

UNICEF is almost synonymous with Halloween. However, what are you do during the year to help bring awareness?

Tom: We have all sorts of year-round campaigns. Helping children is something that you can do every day of the year. So, we do holiday campaigns, we do things around different events during the year like World Immunization Week, Water Day, plus we’re always trying to rally the American people to help support children around the world.

What’s the best way to help Unicef? 

Shelly: They can start by going to https://www.unicefusa.org .

 You can see on our website all of the fantastic work that we do. And quite frankly whether you give money or you take an advocacy action to bring policy change that helps children, we would love your support in any way that you can provide it. 

Is there anything that I did not ask you that you wish to talk about?

Tom: I love that you asked that question. For Halloween people can go to  https://www.unicefusa.org/trick-or-treat and they can participate in any number of ways. They can make a donation they can share out a QR code and get others to help out, they can throw a party, they can download posters and coloring things for kids.

Shelly: And I would just add that the site will be up I think at least through the first week in November. So, if you forget as you’re eating your candy and thinking there’s got to be more to Halloween than this, there is! Just come as Tom said to  https://www.unicefusa.org/trick-or-treat and see where your money goes and how it helps the children. 

So, I have a bunch of children and whether they like it or not they’re going to trick-or-treat for UNICEF. Where do they send their money and how do they send their money as children?

Tom: They would send any funds that they collect back to UNICEF and then UNICEF will send it to work around the world. We are going to help all sorts of kids around the world with that money. We’re going to do things like fight against diseases, we’re going to help refugee kids, especially in and around the Ukraine. We’re going to be able to help with famine and also lots of things that help kids grow up healthy and strong and turn into good adults. 

Shelly: But practically speaking they go to our website with their mommy and daddy. They print out our posters which have giant QR codes and when they go door to door they show their code and hopefully the kind person on the other side of the door will hover the camera on our code and make a donation. 

It’s not too late to add some meaning to your Halloweening this year. Learn more at https://www.unicefusa.org/trick-or-treat

####

About Wonderama

Wonderama is a cross-platform media and entertainment lifestyle program that marries positive social impact with good TV. Building upon the legacy of the iconic “Wonderama” kids variety show that aired on U.S. television for over four decades, the show creates original and “curated” content to entertain, educate and inspire kids and families in an expanding market. Wonderama’s core mission is to encourage kids to aspire to their dreams, with the greatest respect to the audience. The new Wonderama is now in production of its seventh full season of original programming. 

About UNICEF USA

About UNICEF

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) works in more than 190 countries and territories to pursue a more equitable world for every child. UNICEF has helped save more children’s lives than any other humanitarian organization, by providing health care and immunizations, safe water and sanitation, nutrition, education, emergency relief and more.

UNICEF USA advances the global mission of UNICEF by rallying the American public to support the world’s most vulnerable children. Together, we are working toward a world that upholds the rights of all children and helps every child thrive. For more information, visit https://www.unicefusa.org