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atlanta falcons take halloween 2018

faLCONS BRING the HALLOWEEN spirit

Hospitals can be a scary place, especially for young patients. But this Tuesday, October 30, the Atlanta Falcons used their day off to help make it a little less scary for a few hours by celebrating Halloween a day early this year with kids and their families at two Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta locations.

It was the third year that the Atlanta Falcons Community Relations department partnered with the Children's Healthcare of Atlanta to celebrate some Halloween fun with kids and their families at two CHOA locations.

The festivities began Tuesday morning at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta - Scottish Rite. Falcons players, cheerleaders and Freddie the Falcon, led by the Atlanta Falcons Community Relations department, visited Scottish Rite to surprise young patients to spread Halloween spirit.

Tavecchio was joined by teammates CB Brian Poole, WR Marvin Hall, G Ben Garland, S Keith Tandy, FB Ricky Ortiz, S Sharrod Neasman, LB Bruce Carter, TE Jaeden Graham and T Daniel Brunskill, as well as cheerleaders and Freddie the Falcon, all dressed in costume.

For the kids, it was a few hours that they didn't have to worry about the stress that comes with being in the hospital. They could forget about being hospital patients - and just be kids.

Safety Sharrod Neasman - who was dressed as Mr. Incredible - pointed out that usually on visits such as Tuesday's, the kids are a little hesitant to come out of their shell when they have a group of large, NFL players in their small hospital room. But Neasman noticed that they weren't as nervous around Mr. Incredible or Spiderman.

And don't think that the day off meant no competition from the players. When asked who had the best costume, linebacker Bruce Carter held nothing back.

"I had the best costume, by far. Only thing I was missing was the eyepatch, but I think overall I won the kids over so it was good." - Pirate (LB Bruce Carter)

trunk-or-treat

the falcons didn't stop the halloween fun at scottish rite. later that evening, they drove up to the CHILDREN'S HEALTHCARE OF aTLANTA - egleston location WITH SOME FALL SPIRIT- literally.

In partnership with Mercedes-Benz., the company donated five SUV's to the Atlanta Falcons for their Trunk-or-Treat event, held at the Children's Hospital of Atlanta - Egleston. Each SUV was decorated in a different Halloween-themed activity for the patients and their families to enjoy. The hope was to give them an opportunity to celebrate the holiday outside while still on the hospital campus.

"Today is about giving back to our community, uplifting these families that are going through a difficult time right now. Just bringing some joy around this particular holiday." - Vice President of Community Relations AMB Sports + Entertainment, Chris Millman

With everyone dressed in various costumes, close to 100 families from the hospital celebrated with the Falcons that evening. Activities such as face painting, a DJ booth along with a dance floor, and other Halloween-related games were enjoyed by all of the kids.

Practice squad player Justin Zimmer along with cheerleaders and Freddie the Falcon all joined in on the festivities. For the patients who couldn't make it to the Trunk-or-Treat event, Zimmer and cheerleaders went room-to-room to visit with the kids and their families, handing out Falcons goodie bags and signing autographs.

"It's just all about seeing the kids smile. They go through a lot of procedures, just being in the hospital, so anytime we can come here and break that up and have them smile or feel a joyful way with the holidays and Halloween, it's just all about that genuine smile for me." - Pirate (LB Bruce Carter)

Sometimes it's just as simple as a Pirate and a Spiderman or a Mario and a Luigi to brighten a patient's day - and it's an extra plus if there's an NFL player behind the mask.

Created By
Alexandra Aiello
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