Holly Spring family combines fright and faith

HOLLY SPRINGS, N.C. — Kids in costumes and candy of all kinds go hand-in-hand with Halloween.

But what about the children who can’t celebrate the holiday?

One Holly Springs family is bringing skeletons and charity together by allowing trick-or-treaters to have fun while raising money for others in need.

With a flick of a switch a house on Skygrove Drive lights up the area.

The Holly Springs home has been recognized for years for its spooky display with everything from skeleton pirates, crew members and mermaids.

“There’s also a lot of like theme-building like all the shipwrecks and stuff. It’s different each year,” said the owner’s son, Gavin Robertson.

Father and son Jeff and Gavin Robertson created a Facebook page back in 2020 dedicated to helping children and families of St. Jude.

They partnered with the hospital and before they knew it, Gavin Robertson said hundreds of people took interest.

He said people began decorating their homes, posting them on the internet, to raise money for St. Jude.

And with the amount of support they received, he and his dad have made their display bigger and better. 

“I start building like multiple months before Halloween. So it takes up a while, but it’s definitely worth it,” Gavin Robertson said.

Today, Skeltons for St. Jude Facebook group has over 5,000 members with close to 700 homes on the map.

Each year a new monetary goal is set.

“Since, I guess year one, I think year one. We got, like, 11,000. Just like we’ve rocketed,” Gavin Robertson said.

This week, the group reached its ultimate goal by raising a little over $1 million over the last 5 years.

“That’s pretty impressive,” Robertson said.

He said St. Jude families never receive a bill for treatment, travel, housing or food, and it’s because of efforts like this.