When Christophe Waggoner moved into his first Austin home in 2016, he could not wait to hand out candy to all of the trick-or-treaters on Halloween. Since he was a child, he had always enjoyed creating his own costume and going door to door asking for treats. As he handed out candy in Austin that first year, he noticed some children seemed to eye others who had fancier and nicer costumes. As someone who only had worn homemade costumes growing up, he set out on a mission to make sure children who couldn't afford nice costumes, had the opportunity to choose one of their own for free.
Christophe now collects costumes from thrift shops year-round, washes them, and often styles them to look unique. He offers costumes for children and adults in the yearly event he calls October's Child. In its 8th year in 2024, it has grown to include Halloween home decor and pet costumes. It took 2 large storage facilities to hold all of the Halloween items he had to share, and he welcomed volunteers from AISD schools and other groups. Several area teachers took advantage of the free decorations for their classrooms. He does not like to think about those educators spending their own money on classroom decor. People even brought back costumes from previous years to recycle.
“There is nothing like the feeling of a child smiling, not having to ask if they can get this or that or asking their parents if they can afford it,” says Waggoner. “It is work, but so worth it.”
Christophe loves meeting the children and families his October's Child giveaway benefits each year. He remembers the first year of the event, several families of foster children showed up to choose costumes. Each year, there are large families that come and many that return every year. He has been able to watch some of the children grow up.
"I was the oldest of 6 children in my family," says Waggoner. "We never had a store bought costume. We all did what we could to create and sew our own outfits. I know how expensive it can get to buy several Halloween costumes at one time."
Christophe partnered with a small private school to use their parking lot for the giveaway. He and volunteers set up several tents filled with all of the costumes and decor, and they spent the day and evening sorting the spooky products. The giveaway started early. This year, a family with several children showed up at 7:00 am excited to find costumes and decorations for their home. Christophe greeted them with anticipation, happy to see their excitement as they found the perfect costumes at no cost. No shame. No debt to pay. It's simply one man's mission to change the world one costume and one smile at a time.
