Costumes, Creativity and Kindness: Joyce University Delivers Halloween Fun to Primary Children’s Hospital for the Eighth Year in a Row

Four-week drive collected 680 costumes, 2,000 prizes, 200 trick-or-treat buckets and 40 pounds of candy, meeting 100% of the hospital’s Halloween needs

SALT LAKE CITY, Oct. 26, 2026 – Joyce University of Nursing and Health Sciences today announced the results of its Eighth Annual Halloween Costume Drive benefiting Intermountain Primary Children’s Hospital. With boxes packed full of superheroes, princesses and dinosaurs, Joyce University team members, students and volunteers delivered more than 2,800 Halloween donations to Primary Children’s Hospital. The donations brought the spirit of the season to patients, families and the hospital team and met 100% of the hospital’s Halloween needs.

“For our students, this drive is part of discovering what kind of nurse they want to become,” said Patrick Rombalski, President of Joyce University. “Clinical skill matters, and so does compassion. Preparing nurses who lead with both is at the heart of everything we do.”

Throughout the four-week drive, community members contributed through in-person drop-offs at the Draper campus, online orders shipped directly to campus and sponsorship gifts ranging from a $25 Trick-or-Treat Kit to a $150 Sponsor a Hallway gift. This morning, Joyce volunteers gathered on campus to box and load donations for delivery.

The annual drive collects new, unused items for patients from newborns to teens. Not every child is well enough to join in hospital Halloween activities, so the drive also gathers puzzles, games and art supplies that patients can enjoy from their rooms. Joyce University coordinates closely with hospital staff to ensure every item meets safety guidelines and reflects current needs.

“Eight years in, this drive still feels personal to us,” said Brittany Cooper, Senior Director of Communications for Joyce University. “Every costume and every prize came from someone who wanted a child in the hospital to feel a little more like a kid this Halloween. We are grateful for a community that shows up, year after year, for the families who need it most.”

Since it began in 2019, the drive has grown alongside the university, drawing more team members, students, community members and business partners each year. Together, the Joyce University community has continued to support the hospital’s Halloween needs every year.

Joyce University thanks every team member, student, graduate, business partner and neighbor who gave this year.