CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas \u2014 On Padre Island\u2019s Hawksnest and Eagles Nest drives, Halloween isn\u2019t exactly quiet. Fog machines, flashing lights and decorations built to startle draw big crowds of trick-or-treaters every year.<\/p>\n
This Saturday, one house on Eagles Nest is going quiet on purpose.<\/p>\n
Helen Dobbyn teaches swim lessons out of her backyard pool, including to neurodivergent kids. She said even small things can overwhelm some of her students.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have a lot of kids that come to lessons and my dog will bark and even that will just kind of send them into a spiral,\u201d Dobbyn said.<\/p>\n
So for Halloween night, she\u2019s opening her home as what she calls a \u201cHalloween Emergencies House.\u201d Families can stop in for a bathroom break, a quiet room if a child gets overwhelmed, or a private place for a mom to nurse while the rest of the family keeps trick-or-treating.<\/p>\n
The idea started as a social media post for her swim families. Then word spread.<\/p>\n
Dobbyn said the break isn\u2019t just for kids.<\/p>\n
\u201cAdults feel it just as much as the kids do,\u201d she said. \u201cWhen your kids are stressed out, typically the parents are stressed out.\u201d<\/p>\n
According to the nonprofit KultureCity, about one in six people lives with a sensory need, such as autism, anxiety or PTSD.<\/p>\n
This will be Dobbyn\u2019s first Halloween on the street. She moved in last December, and her next-door neighbor is helping her run it.<\/p>\n
While the street goes all out outside, Dobbyn said she\u2019s keeping things simple indoors, with no fog machines or scary displays.<\/p>\n
\u201cI just want it to be somewhere peaceful that it kind of feels like home,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
The Halloween Emergencies House will be open Saturday night at 13834 Eagles Nest. Dobbyn said anyone who needs a break is welcome.<\/p>\n
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