A group of Sundre High School students raised $426, as well as 125 lbs of food, from the second annual Halloween haunted house fundraiser on Friday, which was brought back by popular demand, according to officials.
“It was very well received by the community last year,” said group leader Ryan Beck.
“We had about 400 people go through the haunted house and many students at River Valley School said it was the highlight of Halloween, which is high praise. It is back by popular demand.”
The school's Leo Club – the leadership club at the high school as well as a branch of the local Lions Club – organized the event.
This year the club partnered with the River Valley School Me to We Club and will be donating all of the proceeds, as well as non-perishable food donations, to the Mountain View Food Bank.
Members of the Me to We club collected donations while out trick-or-treating on Oct. 31, as part of the annual We Scare Hunger campaign.
“The haunted house is in the science lab this year. This is a bigger venue, which will allow us to get people through more efficiently,” Beck explained last week.
“Last year we had some people waiting for half an hour to do the two-minute walk-through. We hope to solve that problem with better flow so the kids can get back out trick-or-treating, rather than waiting in line.”
The minimum admission for the haunted house was $2 or one food item.
Last year, $940 was raised from the event and donated to the Canadian Cancer Society. But the Leo Club wanted to support a local charity this year.
Beck said there are various ways the students benefit from organizing and hosting the event.
“Students plan, organize and run the entire event. They are learning about logistics and making contacts in the community,” he said.
“They have a lot of fun running the event, and take a sense of pride in their accomplishment and contribution to the community.”
