Halloween House of Charlotte raises money for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital

CHARLOTTE — A Halloween house that has brought smiles to families’ faces for years now has an extra mission: Helping children fight cancer.

An array of spooky sounds can be heard at the Halloween House of Charlotte in Ballantyne.

The mastermind behind it all is homeowner Dina DiMartino.

“We have wands that we are going to be selling for St. Jude’s,” she said.

This year, DiMartino is putting on the elaborate Halloween experience to raise money for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, which ensures no family ever has to pay for cancer treatment for their child.

“I wanted to align myself with a charity everyone can feel good about,” DiMartino said. “And Halloween is about kids. We’ve all been kids at some point, and I think it’s a perfect fit.”

Kids came through there last year, and traffic was backed up through the neighborhood. That’s why this year, DiMartino hired two off-duty police officers so things go smoother.

It costs thousands, and the work took months, but DiMartino says seeing the smiling faces of families on Halloween night makes all of this worth it.

“I’m excited it’s Saturday,” she said. “So we anticipate we’re going to get a lot of people.”

Whether someone buys a wand or scans one of the QR codes to give to St. Jude, DiMartino hopes people leave feeling good.

The house at 15631 Ballantyne Country Club Drive in Charlotte opens for trick-or-treating Saturday at 5:30 p.m.

Each year, Channel 9 partners with St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital for a Dream Home Giveaway. Ticket sales for a chance to win the home often bring in millions of dollars, all to support the hospital’s lifesaving work.

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