Take a skele-fie: Bellefonte family raising funds for St. Jude’s using their Halloween decor
If you’re driving through Bellefonte looking at Halloween decorations, make sure you don’t pass by 1291 Pine Circle. But the 12-foot-tall skeleton does make it hard to miss.
The skeleton is the latest addition to Nancy Saxton-Mattie’s yearly Halloween display, but this time her decorations are not only for the love of Halloween but also for a good cause.
Saxton-Mattie is participating in Skeletons for St. Jude, where more than 500 homes around the country decorate their yards with a 12-foot-skeleton and a QR code referring people to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. As of Wednesday, more than $121,000 has been raised across the country, according to the webpage.
Saxton-Mattie is more than halfway to her final goal of $2,000. She had originally set it at $500 but her co-workers, friends and family hit it almost immediately, prompting her to set it to $1,000, which she hit on Oct. 5. Donations are accepted through her online page or by scanning the QR code in front of the house.
When Saxton-Mattie saw a Skeletons for St. Jude house featured in the news last year, she knew it was a perfect opportunity to combine her love for Halloween with her passion for the children’s research hospital. Although she donates yearly to St. Jude, the fundraiser was an additional way to raise money and convince her husband the giant-sized skeleton was worth it.
Saxton-Mattie said her neighbors have enjoyed her over-the-top decorations and the life (or afterlife) it brings to their quiet cul-de-sac.
“The first question was, how tall is that?” Saxton-Mattie said. “ And then the second question is, where do you store it?”
Her family, friends and co-workers have been a part of the entire process, even helping to name the giant skeleton.
“My former co-worker said, ‘how about the Big LeBoneski’ and you know, ‘The Big Lebowski’ is epic,” Saxton-Mattie said. “I was like, that’s perfect, I love it. And then Jon Bone Jovi, he’s the one sitting on the bench where people can sit and take a skele-fie (skeleton selfie).”
Saxton-Mattie has connected not only with her neighbors over the decorations but also with the online community of Skeletons for St. Jude decorators.
“It’s just a lot of positive energy,” Saxton-Mattie said. “And the whole group on Facebook is just full of the crazy ideas for Halloween decorations and everyone’s like pumping each other up and it’s just a really good cause and a lot of good energy.”
Saxton-Mattie says the opportunity has been so rewarding she intends on fundraising through her Christmas decorations as well. She’s looking to raise money for International Rett Syndrome Foundation, which raises money to research the rare genetic neurological disorder, to help a co-worker’s daughter.
This story was originally published October 27, 2022 at 7:00 AM.