Idaho State Journal Spotlights Melaleuca’s Halloween Celebration and Family-Centered Culture

Dragons roamed the halls, storybook characters came to life and children filled their buckets with candy as Melaleuca’s Global Headquarters transformed into a world of Halloween magic.

The whimsical celebration caught the attention of a local journalist. Reporter Taylor Calder captured the excitement in an Oct. 30 article titled “Wicked witches, dragons and Shrek take over Melaleuca for Halloween,” published in the Post Register and the Idaho State Journal. The story highlighted the imaginative displays, costumed characters and effort that Melaleuca Team Members put into the celebration.

For more than 20 years, Melaleuca has hosted the Halloween event as a special thank-you to its Team Members and their families.

“The inspiration is a love for the people, a love for our employees,” Melaleuca Chief Human Resources Officer Jamie Reynolds told the reporter.

Team Members Brought Halloween to Life

This year, Melaleuca dedicated 8,000 square feet of its Event Center to a winding trick-or-treat adventure. Children explored elaborate displays inspired by How to Train Your Dragon, Shrek, Alice in Wonderland, Super Mario Bros., Wicked, The Wizard of Oz, Disney’s Haunted Mansion and Home Alone.

The Home Alone display, created by Melaleuca’s Coaching & Leadership Development team, was voted the crowd favorite. The team recreated several memorable scenes from the movies, including Kevin’s living room, complete with a toy train and a life-size cutout of a Melaleuca leader standing in for Michael Jordan. An old television played the black-and-white gangster movie Kevin watched, while Buzz’s bedroom featured his tarantula cage and that unforgettable photo of his girlfriend. The team even recreated Kevin’s booby traps, including the tar-covered staircase and swinging paint cans.

Melaleuca departments created their own themed environments, complete with sets, props and costumes. Nobody had to convince them to get into the Halloween spirit. Some started planning in September. On the big day, they spent four hours greeting children, handing out candy and posing for pictures.

The children went from one display to the next. Some left with buckets so heavy they could barely carry them. Reynolds told the reporter that her own children have been attending for 16 years, making it a family tradition.

While Melaleuca spent thousands of dollars on the celebration, it was Team Members who supplied the magic that made it special. Working together on the displays built friendships, but the real reward was seeing their coworkers’ children having so much fun.

The festivities also included a pumpkin-carving contest for Team Members and a coloring contest for their children. At the end of the trick-or-treat path, every child received a full-size candy bar, a tradition maintained by Frank VanderSloot‘s executive team over the decades.

A Special Thank-You to Melaleuca Families

The celebration was Melaleuca’s way of thanking the spouses, children and other loved ones who support its Team Members throughout the year. Those families made sacrifices, too, and Melaleuca wanted them to know their support was appreciated.

For the kids, there was another bonus: They had the chance to visit Mom or Dad at work, meet their coworkers and see what happens when the adults are encouraged to have a little fun.

Beyond Halloween, Melaleuca hosts an annual family picnic and Christmas celebration, bringing thousands of Team Members and their loved ones together. These traditions give coworkers opportunities to enjoy time together outside their daily responsibilities while including the families who support them.

As Reynolds explained to the newspaper, the people behind Melaleuca’s success were the reason for the celebration.

“We hope that our team members know and that their families know that they are the heart of what we do,” she said. “They are what bring our mission and our purpose to life and without them, we don’t have a company.”