HealthWorks! Kids' Museum St. Louis To Host Great Candy Exchange

Trips to the dentist could get spooky if kids consumed all the candy collected Halloween night. That’s why HealthWorks! Kids’ Museum St. Louis is giving area families an admission-free opportunity to exchange unopened candy for chances to win a variety of prizes promoting health and wellness at the “GREAT CANDY EXCHANGE” on Sunday, Nov. 7. Advanced registration is encouraged and can be completed at https://hwstl.org/event/the-great-candy-exchange/.

This free community event – which will feature three 90-minute sessions between 10 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. – will be packed with family fun, featuring interactive performances, face painting, balloon art, prizes, healthy snacks, stationed activities, live shows and more. Each exchanged pound of candy will be worth one raffle ticket for the prize drawings. The more candy turned in, the more chances kids will have to win prize packages. Prizes include a bike from Big Shark Bicycle Company, St. Louis Cardinals tickets, a free birthday party at HealthWorks! and more. All candy collected will be sent to active military personnel, along with toothbrushes, with the help of the USO of Missouri.

“It's clearly not healthy for kids to eat all the candy they collect on Halloween night,” said Dr. Kourtenay Green, co-executive director and director of programs at HealthWorks! Kids’ Museum St. Louis. “So, we’re asking families to save a few of their favorite candies and exchange the rest for a chance at some awesome prizes, all while encouraging healthy lifestyles and supporting our troops. Over the years, HealthWorks! has collected more than 20,000 pounds of candy and we are excited to see how much we will be able to add to that total this year.”

The “GREAT CANDY EXCHANGE” is made possible thanks to Delta Dental of Missouri, St. Louis Children’s Hospital and The Hauser Group, Inc.

HealthWorks! Kids’ Museum St. Louis is located at 1100 Macklind Ave., near the Saint Louis Science Center. To learn more about the “GREAT CANDY EXCHANGE” or for general information about the museum, visit www.hwstl.org, email info@hwstl.org or like the organization on Facebook.

HealthWorks! Kids’ Museum St. Louis came into existence as a result of efforts to expand The Delta Dental Health Theatre to address broader, overall health issues after Delta Dental of Missouri became a major corporate sponsor in 2004. Those plans evolved and grew more ambitious over the next several years, ultimately leading to the closure of the original theatre on Laclede’s Landing in downtown St. Louis after 38 years so it could be housed in the new, dramatically expanded museum. The Delta Dental Health Theatre was originally organized as a program under the Foundation of the Greater St. Louis Dental Society in 1977. In 2002, it was incorporated as an independent 501(c) (3) not-for-profit organization. HealthWorks! Kids’ Museum St. Louis opened in May of this year.