This year’s Great Pumpkin Challenge campaign has already started collecting donations, and this week challenge creator Mackenzie Page announced the Life is Good company will match each dollar donated, up to $10,000, for the cause. The annual fundrasier has primarily raised funds for The Hole in The Wall Gang Camp since its inception in 2011.

Life is Good Co-Founders Bert and John Jacobs, Mackenzie said, are also planning to be at her Main Street home on Friday, October 30. The Jacobs brothers will be joined by actress and Hole In The Wall Gang Camp board member Bridget Moynahan during pumpkin collection times that day to support the local challenge to raise money. The camp is a summer camp and center that serves children and families coping with cancer and other serious illnesses.

The Great Pumpkin Challenge began four years ago, when Mackenzie was in eighth grade. She was inspired to support a family friend, Zoe McMorran, who was diagnosed with brain cancer.

That first year Mackenzie challenged residents to carve a pumpkin, drop it off to display at her 14 Main Street home before Halloween, and offer a suggested donation of $5. That year Mackenzie raised money both for the American Cancer Society and for Zoe's family. Since then, money has been raised for Paul Newman's Hole In The Wall Gang Camp.

This year Mackenzie, a senior at Newtown High School,  is again challenging residents to participate in the pumpkin carving challenge, and to raise more money than in previous years.

Last year's Great Pumpkin Challenge raised $3,014 for the camp. Overall, the first four years of the challenge has raised $14,800 for different charities, and $9,365 of that went to the camp, according to Mackenzie.

After Mackenzie participated as a co-chair for the 2015 Travelers Championship this past summer, she learned at the start of this month that the PGA tour event that donates 100 percent of its net proceeds to charities would be giving over $15,000 to the Great Pumpkin Challenge to donate to the Hole In The Wall Gang Camp.

Since then, Mackenzie said the challenge has also received a donation from Edible Arrangements along with other donations.

The Life is Good company has also donated $5,000 to the cause and will donate up to $10,000 more to match each dollar raised by the Great Pumpkin Challenge donations.

When carving pumpkins Mackenzie advises “be creative.” She is also challenging participants this year to carve pumpkins with “their team,” whether that is a neighborhood or scouting group.

Participants in this year's Great Pumpkin Challenge are asked to drop off pumpkins Thursday and Friday, October 29 and 30, from 3:30 to 7 pm, or Saturday, October 31, between 9 am and 2 pm, at 14 Main Street, with the suggested donations.

Virtual pumpkins can be purchased online at greatpumpkinchallenge.org.

This story was updated to reflect Ms Moynahan's board member status with the Hole In The Wall Gang Camp.