Clowns and puppeteers may no longer be the trend at children's birthday parties.

Following the idea to create a more interactive and educational program, Howie and Marie Morana began a new approach to children's entertainment, called Heroes for Hope.At events ranging from birthday parties to community activities, the Moranas arrive as Batman and Catwoman to encourage children from second to sixth grade to be superheroes as well.The message is delivered with four focal points: heroes never give up, heroes always do the right thing, heroes help others and heroes never bully.Howie Morana said, "We're trying to empower them to give them strength and courage to face everyday problems."The program is designed to have audience participation and is based on anti-bullying and anti-drug use principles.Children can get their photo taken with Batman and Catwoman, an autograph and a superhero certification.At their start in May, the duo held a meet and greet at the Angela Theatre in Coaldale to raise money for a family who had lost their home to a fire.They have also taken part in events in Tamaqua, Summit Hill and Jim Thorpe."Eventually, we hope to raise enough money to start a fund so that we can visit children's hospitals," Morana said.They also hope to visit local elementary schools and even create a league of other superheroes."If we can change a couple kids' lives, that's great," Morana said.