Road Home Halloween party allows kids, families to enjoy the holiday

SALT LAKE CITY — It was a cold and rainy Sunday, but you wouldn't have known it from the scene inside the back room of Frida Bistro.

The gray day was totally forgotten by children staying at a Salt Lake homeless shelter amid the Halloween excitement generated by a bustle of colors and costumes and the warmth of those who diligently volunteer at the annual event.

Diane Morrell, President of the Utah chapter of Qwest's Hispanic employees association which has put the event on for 17 years, said the Halloween party was started in an effort to offer a fun, holiday event for the children staying at the Road Home.

"It's just a blast," she said. "What we really love about it is that the kids have a chance to just be kids. They can forget about their surroundings and they can just play."

As parents and children decorated cookies behind her, she detailed how everything comes together, from the collection of candy and costumes to the logistics of where to hold the event with a fairly tight budget. Things that run smoother the more years it's done.

"It's almost like clockwork now," she said. "We started very small. The first year we were at Our Lady of Guadalupe and transported just the kids."

Sunday, parents and children sat, ate and played together. For Nikie and Scott Lechtenberg, the party was almost a farewell of sorts as well. After six months at the Road Home with their two sons, they're in a position to move out.

"I'm glad they have this facility for families that are struggling to get back on their feet," Scott Lechtenberg said. "We couldn't have done it without them. I'll tell you that."

As their son, Scotland, pointed excitedly to the various decorations and spoke of wanting a spider and a ghost of his own, his father recounted the events that took the family from a Murray apartment to the shelter. A mason by trade, he struggled to find work and the family ended up without a home. So they came to this new, different home and found a staff that was "extremely helpful." Now, he and his wife both have steady employment.

Sunday was the family's last day, and as they had for the last six months, they took part in the family-focused events they've often frequented. As for leaving?

"It's a good feeling," he said.