YORK, S.C. — What started as a fun way to celebrate Halloween for one York mom has now become a labor of love, making a difference in the lives of children with cancer.
"I think that for any child going through cancer, the last thing those parents need to worry about is how to make ends meet," Stephanie Jarrett said.
It's why Jarrett and her husband turned their haunted house into a house of hope - posting a sign in the yard to raise money for Memphis-based St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.
"For the past two years, I’ve joined with St. Jude. We're from Memphis and when we found out that was something we could do, it seemed like a win-win," Jarrett said. "A gentleman’s wife had passed away and walking by my house every day gave him something to smile about. So, that makes it all worthwhile.”
She said planning starts months to a year in advance. During that time, she jots down ideas from her family, the community, and trending topics online to create the haunted scenes.
They're changed every other day, but on Wednesday, the skeletons were posed in various ways depicting a social media joke about math that doesn't quite add up.
“The first one is dad math," Jarrett said. "Dad says this fish was this big when it's actually a little fish.”
Jarrett's husband said he "can't confirm or deny," if this round of skeletons was partially inspired by him, but he's happy to support his wife and the cause.
"All I do is hammer the stakes in the ground," Shawn Jarrett said, "but then I see the end result and it's like, awesome.”
So far, the York couple has raised more than $1,800 this year, but they're just one home of more than 600 participating around the nation.
Jeff Robertson, who lives south of Raleigh, was the first to start the effort and says the group Skeletons for St. Jude has now raised more than half a million in total for St. Jude.
"I'm just excited that there's still good people out there and there's lots of them," Robertson said.
The displays will remain up at the Jarrett's home, located at 214 E. Liberty Street in York, through Halloween. Those interested in donating or becoming a participating home can learn more by visiting Skeletons for St. Jude online or donate directly to Jarrett's team here.
Contact Kayland Hagwood at khagwood@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, X and Instagram.