Costume-clad preschoolers were “trick-or-treated” to an extra special welcome on Halloween morning as they got off the buses and arrived at YAI’s Roosevelt and Gramercy schools in Manhattan. The young students, many of whom have intellectual or developmental disabilities, were greeted by an array of decorated pumpkins, graciously gifted to YAI by community partner Macy’s.

Rebecca Lineberry, Advertising Business Manager at Macy’s, and Kevin Galko, Associate Buyer, Kitchen Electrics at Macy’s, who are both part of “The Heralds”, a group of Macy’s employees dedicated to bringing corporate social responsibility initiatives to Macys.

Following Macy’s annual employee Halloween Party, which includes a pumpkin decorating contest, Rebecca and Kevin took the lead in coordinating eight other members of “The Heralds” to volunteer to bring more than 25 of the creatively decorated pumpkins over to distribute throughout the two preschools following the contest.

The children were delighted as they saw a Mr. Pirate-Potato Head pumpkin, a pumpkin which displayed the characters from “The Wizard of Oz” and a pumpkin-turned-fish, covered entirely in candy-corn.

Special thanks to the team at Macy’s for their creativity, thoughtfulness and support!