Canton family turns epic Halloween display into St. Jude fundraiser

The Zoccoli family’s home on the 700 block of Princeton Drive in Canton is not only a piece of eye candy, it’s a fundraiser for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
A Canton family’s passion for Halloween fun is matched by its mission to help a worthwhile cause.
Not only is the Zoccoli family’s home on the 700 block of Princeton Drive in Canton a mind-blowing piece of Halloween-season eye candy — it takes Vinnie and Jackie Zoccoli close to a week to assemble all of their cool-but-not-terrifying front-yard props — it raises important funds for the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, whose goal is to advance cures and means of prevention for pediatric catastrophic diseases.
“We’ve always loved Halloween,” said Jackie Zoccoli. “My youngest daughter was even born on Halloween eight years ago.

“We started with one skeleton. Every year my husband would say, ‘Are you going to get more decorations this year?’ and I’d say, ‘No, no, we have enough.’ But somehow we’d end up with a little bit more every year and it has grown into this.”
Although the eye-catching display includes skeletons, a witch and a werewolf, it is tastefully done so as not to terrify youngsters.
“What I love the most about our display is it’s family-friendly,” Jackie Zoccoli said. “We’re not into the blood-and-guts stuff. We want kids running to our house, not running away from it.”
(To check out a video clip of the Zoccolis’ amazing Halloween display, click here.)
Adding a feel-good dimension to their display
During the weeks leading up to assembling their display this fall, the Zoccolis discussed the possibility of using it as a catalyst to help a good cause.
“We love children and animals, so we were thinking about doing something to help kids or maybe the Humane Society,” Jackie said. “When I was Googling some options, I came across St. Jude’s Skeletons for Hope website. It’s perfect because we don’t have to collect cash and then send it to St. Jude; everything is done through the QR code in our front yard, which goes straight to the donation website.
“We can’t see who donated, but we can see how much money our display has raised.”

As of Oct. 17, the Zoccolis had already raised over $500 — about one-third of their goal.
“The man who started Skeletons for Hope raised $20,000 in one year,” she said, smiling. “I’m not a real competitive person, but that would be great if someday we could beat that.
“I think the donations will pick up the closer we get to Halloween — and especially on the night of Halloween.”
One skeleton is extra-special
The Zoccolis have purchased “about 99%” of their decorations at Home Depot, Jackie said.
A dinosaur skeleton they purchased this year has a compelling story behind it.
“I’ve always wanted the T-Rex skeleton, but they only made it for one year in 2017 before the giant skeletons came out,” she said. “I had the hardest time finding one.”

On the second anniversary of her father’s passing, she discovered on Marketplace a man in Dearborn was selling his rare T-Rex skeleton.
“Coincidentally, he lived about three blocks from where I work, so I contacted him and picked it up that day,” she said. “We named it Steve-osaurus Rex since my dad’s name is Steve.”
No end in sight for annual tradition
During the days following Halloween, Vinnie Zoccoli carefully disassembles all of the props and stores them in an attic he built above their garage.
“I can’t imagine not doing this for Halloween every year,” she added. “We’ll continue the fundraiser, too. I mean, who doesn’t want to raise money for sick children and their families.”
To donate to the Zoccolis’ St. Jude fundraising effort, either visit their home and scan the QR codes located on their front lawn or click here to visit the official donation website.
Ed Wright can be reached at 734-664-4657 or edwright@socialhousenews.com.