DES MOINES, Iowa — Some metro homes have taken Halloween decorating to the next level, giving a good scare and raising funds for St. Jude Children’s Hospital.
Skeletons for St. Jude is a nationwide fundraising effort which raises money for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. The funds help support children and their families battling childhood cancer.
2025 marks six years for the fundraiser, the goal is to reach $1 million raised since 2020.
Mike Willcox is just one of several families that have set up elaborate yard displays with special signs that explain the cause and what donating can do for others.
“We get none of this(the money raised). We do all of this out of our own pockets, and we do it gladly,” said Willcox. “So anything that you donate goes 100% towards Saint Jude’s.”
According to the website, St. Jude’s has helped push the overall childhood cancer survival rate in the U.S. from 20% in 1962 to 80% today. St. Jude’s doesn’t bill families for treatment, travel, housing or food.
For most, the fun is found in the set-up and planning. Some plan out their decor months ahead and spend weeks getting every detail perfect. The Lyman family adds more each year!
“Well if I can keep Justin and Joey from talking to each other, we might be able to stay in some kind of budget, but I think we are probably going to end up with a 12 foot skeleton at some point,” Megan Lyman said.
The Sebastinelli family started out small, with some regular yard decorations that eventually grew into homemade pieces and elaborate scene building.
“It would be the big guy. He’s the one that started it all. Uh, he was our one that we were after for a couple years before you could get them, you know, all season long at Home Depot… and so he was really the one that kicked everything off. The first year it was just him and a couple other little pieces, and as you can see it’s expanded quite a bit in three years, said Allicia Sebastinelli.”
Now, their house is a must-see during Halloween. The neighborhood looks forward so their display each year and many start looking for the spooky spectacular months in advance.
“We have a lot of little kids in the neighborhood that absolutely love it, so they start asking usually around late August where are the skeletons, when are they coming out,” said Sebastinelli.
According to Skeletons for St. Jude, in 2025 more than 500 homes are participating across the U.S., with half a dozen families partaking in Iowa.
Most of the families say their decorations go up mid-September and say up a little into November. You can find three of these haunted homes at:
- 120 East Park Avenue, Des Moines
- 530 SE Dapple Drive, West Des Moines
- 569 SE Dapple Drive, West Des Moines
As of Saturday, the group was $16,000 short of the $1 million goal. Putting them well on track to surpass the goal before Halloween. Donations can be made at the Skeletons for St. Jude website.
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