It is a lot easier for me to write about how I spent last Friday night than it would be for me to talk about it.
For all intents and purposes, I donated my voice to charity.
No, I didn’t emcee a radio show and I certainly cannot sing in a benefit concert or anything like that, but I did channel my inner monster to get in the Halloween spirit a little early this year by volunteering at the Niles Haunted House.
Donning a mask that could only be described as some sort of skeletal demon, I stalked the “Field of Screams” maze looking for victims. To think that this was only one of the six haunted attractions and that this is the 40th consecutive year is truly impressive.
It was a rewarding experience, to say the least, and I was certainly honored and humbled to meet some of the hundreds of dedicated volunteers it takes to make this event happen each year.
Having been part of operating a  “haunted” highway tunnel in southern Ohio with the Lions Club for the past decade, scaring people for a good cause is nothing new to me.
The civic organization was able to raise $20,000 every year to put right back into the community, but the scale of it is nothing compared to the fiendish activities here in Niles. It is absolutely scary — pun intended and in a good way — what this organization is able to accomplish putting on the haunted house each year.
I was there volunteering as part of the Niles-Buchanan Rotary Club but countless other organizations were represented there too as part of the more than 150 volunteers who show up each night.
These men, women and children are from across Michiana, spanning all ages and societal labels.
Many keep coming back, year after year, driven by the fun of offering up some really good scares and, more importantly, by the desire to make a difference in the communities here.
The nonprofit organization has pumped more than $1.2 million back into the community over the past 17 years and donated more than $200,000 in the past three years alone.
You cannot spell “scare” without the word “care” and this organization and its volunteers certainly do plenty of both.

Michael Caldwell is the publisher of Leader Publications LLC. He can be reached at (269) 687-7700 or by email at mike.caldwell@leaderpub.com.