Halloween, a favourite holiday for many, can be challenging for children with disabilities due to various barriers that make trick-or-treating more difficult and inaccessible.

However, Treat Accessibly, a program that RE/MAX has been a proud partner of since the very beginning, is aimed to remove these barriers.

This Halloween, two dedicated RE/MAX agents, Mike Filipe of RE/MAX Real Estate Centre in Hamilton, ON, and Derek Rice of RE/MAX Pacific Ocean Realty in Comox Valley, BC, helped bring Treat Accessibly Halloween Villages to their communities for everyBODY to enjoy.

Mike Filipe, renowned for dressing up as Batman at the event connects to the cause on a personal level. During his visits to McMaster Children’s Hospital, when his son underwent surgery, he was moved by the resilience and spirit of the children he encountered. It reminded him that children who face more challenging lives deserve every opportunity to experience the joys of childhood just as much as any other child, such as being able to participate in an activity like trick-or-treating.

This year there were more than 50 homes in Hamilton that participated in the Treat Accessibly Halloween Village. The event was backed by RE/MAX Real Estate Centre and featured a designated RE/MAX area with tables that had balloons and candy for the village-goers. There were also eight other agents from the brokerage that volunteered at the event, including Frank Ferraro, Sylvia McNeil, Carlo Antenor, Niam Hassab, Alaina Radu, Reisha Dass, and Leah Samdass. Together, they distributed over 600 goodie bags.

As for Derek, this was the second year he helped organize a Treat Accessibly Halloween Village. He first heard about Treat Accessibly at the RE/MAX Kickstart event in Kelowna in September of 2022. His inspiration behind bringing this event to his community came from a young boy in his neighbourhood who has mobility challenges.

At his Comox Valley event, there were over 50 homes that participated and close to 250 children that attended. Trick-or-treaters and their families also got to enjoy 100 hot dogs provided by a local grocery store, 600+ candies, and 100 Halloween cookies donated by a nearby bakery.

“Next year we are expanding even further, and other agents in my office are seeing the success of this event and are planning to offer this event in their own neighbourhoods next year,” says Derek.

These Treat Accessibly Halloween Villages are a testament to the power of inclusivity and community support. If you are interested in hosting or volunteering at a Halloween Village, please contact Rich Padulo at founder@treataccessibly.com.