AUGUSTA, Ga (WJBF)- On Halloween, WJBF and our Giving Your Best partners are hosting “Halloween with a Heart.”

It’s a trick or treating event for children with physical and mental disabilities from special education classes across the CSRA.

For many special needs children, trick or treating on Halloween night is just too much to handle. A lot of special needs kids are very sensitive to too much stimulation, like flashing lights and loud noises so trick or treating can be very overwhelming.

“Halloween With a Heart” gives them a safe and barrier free environment so they can enjoy themselves.

Community members and sponsors will set up booths with candy and other goodies. They are careful to set up their booths so that kids with light or sound sensitivities will be comfortable.

“Halloween can be very overwhelming. Over stimulating, especially with costumes, with all the different types of candy people give out. There are a lot of details that go overlooked for special children. And we find it very important that those kids have those same experiences, those memories that they can have with their families,” explained Taylor Newton, Director of Community Involvement at WJBF.

Around 1,100 students from 60 schools participate in this event every year and everyone looks forward to it.

“I think its special that they get to do this with kids they’re at school with every day that understand what they’re going through. Just have that memory they can have and dress up and know that it’s accessible. It’s fun,” said Newton.

“Halloween with a Heart” is happening on Halloween at Patriots Park. Registration for the event is closed.

Photojournalist: Will Baker.