Starlight Children's Foundation: Brightening the Lives of Hospitalized Kids Worldwide

Headquartered in Los Angeles, California, Starlight Children's Foundation is a charity founded in 1982 by filmmaker Peter Samuelson and his cousin, actress Emma Samms, after they brought a terminally ill boy from London to LA to fulfill his lifelong dream of going to Disneyland. Since then, Starlight has provided quality programs to brighten the lives of seriously ill children and their families around the world. The organization partners with experts in entertainment, technology, and pediatric care to offer a comprehensive selection of outpatient, hospital-based, and online programs and resources that support children and their families from diagnosis through medical treatment. Serving millions of kids each year, Starlight works with over 1,750 healthcare facilities and every major pediatric hospital in Australia, New Zealand, Israel, the United Kingdom, Canada, and the United States to help seriously ill children and their families cope with their daily challenges.

Inside hospitals, Starlight Children's Foundation sets up Fun Centers and Starlight Sites. Fun Centers are mobile entertainment units equipped with a DVD player and a Nintendo game system that roll bedside to provide fun and distraction and help pediatric patients pass the long hours in the hospital. Meanwhile, Starlight Sites are beautifully designed hospital playrooms, teen lounges, and care rooms where young patients can play or receive treatments in a reassuring environment. Starlight also brings Hospital Happenings to patients in hospitals; these are parties, workshops, entertainment, and other events designed to give hospitalized kids a break from medical treatment. In addition, Starlight has partnered with Radio Flyer, Inc. since 2001 to bring over 6,000 Radio Flyer wagons to hospitals throughout the US and Canada. The wagons are used in place of wheelchairs or stretchers to transport kids to and from treatment rooms and surgeries, providing them with more comfort and less stress.

Beyond hospitals, Starlight runs Starbright World, the premier online social network for teens with chronic and life-threatening illnesses and their siblings. The charity also organizes fun-filled events for families and offers a host of engaging, educational resources including DVDs, interactive games, websites, and comic books.