UF College of Medicine continues spook-tacular tradition
Department of Surgery faculty, staff donate Halloween-themed goodie bags to pediatric patients
Department of Surgery staff members continued a tradition of bagging up Halloween goodies to pass out to pediatric patients at UF Health Shands Children's Hospital.
Photo by Emily Mavrakis
Oct. 30, 2025 — It’s not just a bunch of hocus pocus — Halloween cheer has been spread through the halls of the University of Florida Health Shands Children’s Hospital.
Like witches adding ingredients to a special brew, UF College of Medicine staff members filled goodie bags with trinkets including stickers, tattoos, bookmarks, coloring pages, stencils and more.
This week, the group prepared 72 Halloween-themed goodie bags to deliver to pediatric patients.
For several years, members of the Department of Surgery have hosted a goodie bag session, raising donations to purchase fun items and give patients and their families a special treat to look forward to during the Halloween season.
This year, nearly two dozen faculty and staff members participated by providing donations and bagging up the items.
Organizer Yaravi Coriano, a research administration manager for the Department of Surgery, coordinated with nursing staff to deliver three boxes packed with goodie bags to one of the pediatric units in the days leading up to Halloween. She took up the reins of organizing the event in 2023, restarting the program after a pause during the pandemic.
“It puts a smile on my face, and I hope it does for the children as well,” Coriano said. “When we’re buying the items, I try to think about, ‘What would I have wanted as a 5- or 10-year-old?’”
Danielle Johnson, a research administrator in the Department of Surgery, said being involved is a way to be at the heart of UF Health’s mission of patient care.
“In administration, you can feel separated from the patients, so events like this are a reminder of why we do what we do,” Johnson said.
Staff filled more than 70 goodie bags with items including coloring pages and crayons, stickers, tattoos, bracelets and more.
Photo by Emily Mavrakis
Kathy McEwen, who was one of the original organizers of the event until her retirement in 2022, returned to help this year . McEwen, who worked at the university for more than two decades as an accountant, said she was glad to see the tradition continue.
Jill Hendrickson, M.S., MSSW, LCGC, a genetic counselor for the UF Health Aortic Disease Center, was excited to help bag the goodies this year for the first time.
She said Halloween is her favorite time of year, so she welcomes any chance to help children enjoy it.
“I love seeing the kids get dressed up and playing pretend,” she said. “I used to make costumes for my daughter when she was little, so I’ve just always had these wonderful memories. The bottom line is, we want to bring joy to the kids, even if they can’t have a normal Halloween experience.”
