Frolic’s Haunt, Toronto’s first and only wheelchair-accessible Halloween Haunt run by a passionate grassroots team of makers, is looking for volunteers. Please consult the info below, which can also be found on their website.

Frolic’s Haunt is a fully accessible, 500 square foot walk-through home haunt (a “home haunt” is a non-commercial haunted house on private property; a “walk-through” means a haunted house that a visitor moves through, rather than a front-yard graveyard or other static set meant to be looked at). This is a labour of love that takes a lot of time, energy, and money, as well as volunteers willing to help.

Why?

Wheelchair-accessible home haunts are extremely rare, and commercial haunts (which are also often inaccessible) are almost always too frightening for children and most young teens. That’s why we started Frolic’s Haunt. We believe Halloween and scary fun should be accessible to everyone who wants it, and Toronto needs a local home haunt so both disabled and non-disabled kids can come have a great time. It also provides an opportunity for disabled parents who want to bring their kids to a haunt and be able to go through it with their children.

When?

They’re open on Saturday, October 28th, from 5 PM to 9 PM. Due to the fact that they’re running on one night only, demand will be high; in order to avoid disappointing people, visitors must reserve a time slot in order to attend.

Where?

They’re located in northwest Toronto (Ontario, Canada) near Wilson and Dufferin, close to two major highways (400 and 401) and the Allen. They’re easily TTC-accessible, only a short bus ride from Wilson station. The exact address will be sent via email to groups who have made reservations.

How much does it cost?

The Haunt is free to attend. If you enjoyed yourself and want to give them a donation on your way out, there will be a box outside the exit. All proceeds will be used toward the 2018 Frolic’s Haunt; they have room to expand, and the speed at which the Haunt grows is only limited by funding and volunteer availability.

How can you help?

If you are disabled or assist disabled folks on a constant basis and you have suggestions on ways to improve accessibility: please let them know! They’re looking to have as inclusive a Haunt as possible, so they’re not solely looking for info on wheelchair accessibility. If you have a vision disability, if you’re Deaf or HOH (hard of hearing), if you’re not neurotypical, etc., they’d love your input about things they need to consider so the Haunt is accessible to you and folks like you.

If you have skills and time and you’re willing to share them: they’d love to learn from you. There’s always more for them to learn about prop making, special effects, construction, carpentry, acting, costume makeup, costume making, and any other subjects useful to a haunted house. There are many skilled folks required to run a good Haunt: actors, makeup artists, programmers for animatronics, ASL translators to accompany the Deaf guests through the Haunt and translate what the actors are saying, etc.

If you have no skills but you have time: There are many projects where they can teach you the basics and then you can assist with the construction throughout the year. The day before the Haunt they need folks to help set up their (pre-built) temporary walls, roof, and sets; on the night of the Haunt they need non-actor staff to keep an eye on the visitors while the Haunt is running; the day after the Haunt they need people to assist with deconstructing the Haunt.

If you don’t have time or skills but do have money, they accept donations towards materials used in the Haunt. At this time they aren’t a registered charity so they can’t issue tax receipts. (They’ll be happy to send you a copy of the store receipts to show what your money purchased though!) If you wish, you (or your business) will be acknowledged as one of their supporters on their website.

If you’re a high school student looking for Community Service hours, they have lots for you to do!
If you have props, decorations, or other materials that you’d like to lend to them temporarily over Halloween or donate: they’d be happy to accept! Everyone who supports them will be recognized on their website; if you wish to put an advertisement for your business onto the site in exchange for lending or donating supplies, they’d be happy to do that.

If you’re skilled with marketing/advertising/networking, they really need to hear from you. If you have the ability to help them get the word out about their Haunt to disabled folks who will find it relevant, help them get publicity, bring in more visitors, and/or find funding sources, that would be enormously helpful. A high-resolution version of their flyer can be found below.

If there’s something that isn’t listed here but you think it’d be useful to them, they’d love to know what you have in mind. You can contact them at frolicshaunt@gmail.com.