PEORIA, Ill. (WMBD) — Halloween is next week and that means candy, lots of it.
2024 Halloween events in Central Illinois
However, some places like Illinois Central College are doing the holiday different this year with a trunk-or-treat.
“One of the things that we’re doing for our trunk or treat is we have a specific list of who is hosting a trunk,” said Katelyn Murphy, an outreach counselor with ICC. “So those people have been checked in making sure that they’re safe.”
The purpose of the ICC trunk-or-treat in its first year is to establish connections and create a safe place.
“Our big push is trying to make sure that ICC is a place for students who have children and make sure it’s a safe place,” Murphy said.
Making Halloween less frightening for kids in the hospital
Trick-or-treating is a time to keep an eye on your child with online options for knowing the door-to-door route ahead of time.
“I think the advantage that we have now that we did not have back then is public information,” said Eric Echevarria, chief of police for the city of Peoria. “You can go on a public site and know where sex offenders live and predatory sex offenders are registered, and you know what doors you shouldn’t be knocking on.”