Truly Nolen wraps up 9th year of TRULY Spooktacular hospital visits

Our team members James and Tonya enjoyed decorating pumpkins with Sarasota, Fla., Memorial Hospital’s Jenna Maye (middle). PHOTO: TRULY NOLEN

For the first time since 2019, Tucson, Ariz.-based Truly Nolen Pest Control was able to visit multiple hospitals in-person across the country delivering plastic pumpkins, decorating kits, and mouse car stress balls as part of our annual “TRULY Spooktacular” program.

The program was created in 2014 by Michelle Nolen, daughter of the late Truly David Nolen and director of operational administrative support. That year, she decided to visit Tucson Medical Center for Children in our company’s headquarter city to bring some Halloween cheer to some children who might otherwise not receive the attention that other holidays like Thanksgiving, Christmas and Hanukkah typically do.

“We wanted to give kids a nice distraction because it is never fun to be at a hospital or away from their siblings,” Nolen recently said when asked about the program’s origins. “Anything we can do to brighten a child’s day is a great gift to them. In addition, for their families to be able to breathe a little bit and know that they are not alone and to have something their children can smile about, look forward to doing, and brighten up their hospital room a little bit is why we do what we do.”

This father and son decorated a pumpkin together at Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital in Hollywood, Fla. PHOTO: TRULY NOLEN

While COVID prevented our company from visiting hospitals in-person in 2020 and 2021, a majority of our hospital partners allowed us to return in person this year.

We thank the following hospitals for allowing us to visit in-person during the month of October:

• Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, Ga.,
• Tallahassee, Fla., Memorial HealthCare,
• Palm Beach, Fla., Children’s Hospital,
• AdventHealth for Children Orlando, Fla.,
• Golisano Children’s Hospital of Southwest Florida,
• Shriners Children’s Galveston, Texas,
• Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital Hollywood, Fla.,
• MUSC Shawn Jenkins Children’s Hospital Charleston, S.C.,
• Nicklaus Children’s Hospital Miami, Fla.,
• East Tennessee Children’s Hospital – Knoxville,
• Dell Children’s Medical Center Austin, Texas,
• Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital St. Petersburg, Fla.,
• Sarasota Memorial Health Care System, Fla.,
• Sunrise Children’s Hospital Las Vegas, Nev.,
• St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital Tampa, Fla.,
• NCH North Naples Hospital Campus in Florida,
• Providence Children’s Hospital El Paso, Texas,
• TMC for Children Tucson, Ariz.,
• El Paso Children’s Hospital – Texas, and
• HCA Florida Palms West Hospital Loxahatchee, Fla.

Truly Nolen’s Knoxville franchise team enjoyed decorating pumpkins with the children at nearby East Tennessee Children’s Hospital. PHOTO: TRULY NOLEN

In addition, thank you to Phoenix, Ariz., Children’s Hospital; Brenner Children’s Hospital Winston-Salem, N.C.; Hackensack Meridian Health Children’s Hospital, N.J.; Rady Children’s Hospital-San Diego, Calif.; Akron Children’s Hospital Beeghly Campus, Boardman, Ohio; and Presbyterian Healthcare Services Albuquerque & Rio Rancho, N.M.; for allowing us to ship them our plastic pumpkins, decorating kits and mouse cars for them to distribute themselves.

We are proud that “TRULY Spooktacular” has grown exponentially over the last eight years. At the end of October, our company had visited or distributed pumpkins and decorating kits to nearly 30 hospitals across 11 states, and this program remains one our favorite ways to add value to the lives we touch.

Nothing but smiles at Shriner’s Hospital in Galveston, Texas. PHOTO: TRULY NOLEN

This young patient and our team member Anna Wallace made these three pumpkins at Golisano Children’s Hospital in Fort Myers, Fla. PHOTO: TRULY NOLEN

This little girl saw our team member Frank McKeon when we visited AdventHealth Children’s Hospital of Orlando and ran directly to him for a hug. PHOTO: TRULY NOLEN

This young patient enjoyed decorating at Dell Children’s Hospital in Austin, Texas. PHOTO: TRULY NOLEN