HUNTINGTOWN, Md. — Huntingtown resident Cheryl Zamary loves Halloween. Like many Halloween enthusiasts, she’s created a skeleton scene in her yard to help celebrate the season in addition to numerous other decorations. But Zamary’s skeletons are a little different: they’re supporting a worthy cause.
Skeletons for St. Jude is a national organization started by Jeff Robertson and his family in Holly Springs, North Carolina, in 2020. Robertson went all out decorating, and as more people stopped by to see his decorations, he decided to add a St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital fundraising sign to his yard to encourage people to donate. From there, the fundraiser grew to a “nationwide effort of haunters.” They’ve raised $1 million since 2025 and have already hit their $100,000 goal for the 2025 season.
St. Jude is a children’s hospital that provides free cancer care for patients. The organization provides housing for families and fully pays for treatment. St. Jude is known for its work with pediatric cancer patients and is highly rated because nearly all donations go toward paying for care and supporting families.
Zamary bought her skeletons in 2020, too, and quickly joined in on the fundraiser for the 2021 season.
“It started with my 12-foot skeleton in 2020,” Zamary said. “You know, it was 2020, no one was really coming around and I wanted to put something outside that would help cheer kids up.” She discovered the fundraiser as she was researching how to make and configure spiderwebs.
Zamary said she’s always been “extra” about Halloween. She used to dress her kids up every day in October and has always gone all out with candy and decorations. Now she gets to go all out for a cause.
And part of what makes Skeletons for St. Jude so exciting for the “haunters” is that it’s incredibly easy to join. Anyone with a good idea and a desire to help the cause can send Robertson a message to get a QR code to print and put on their lawn. They’ll also get added to the skeleton map so people know where to find a skeleton house near them.
Zamary sticks to her “skeletons and spiders” theme, though her setup changes a bit year to year. She says she loves to see kids coming to see the decorations throughout the month, and her “deading zoo” is popular. The “deading zoo” is a corral of farm animal skeletons, and kids can go in to pet and feed the animals. Other participants around the country have zombie Santas or activity days. Everyone does it their way, and their creativity and love for Halloween goes toward a great cause.
“If you have a cool setup, it’s so easy to get involved,” Zamary said. “It’s this incredible national network of people working toward a great cause.”
Zamary’s skeletons are located at her house at the Farms of Hunting Creek in Huntingtown. You can visit them or her fundraising page to make a donation.
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