Hospital stays can be frightening and long, especially for children who are chronically or severely ill. In these cases, children can be stuck in a hospital for weeks or months while they receive treatment. Starlight Children’s Foundation provides resources that can bring moments of happiness to children receiving treatment or recovering in hospitals.
In Milwaukee, we have one of the best pediatric hospitals in the country at Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin. Join us in helping the Starlight Foundation bring entertainment, social interaction, and distraction to their patients.
ADM’s Fundraiser
As citizens of Milwaukee, we are proud of the work that Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin does to provide care for our area’s children. So, we want to bring moments of happiness to the children receiving treatment at the Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin by partnering with the Starlight Foundation.
When the Starlight Foundation became an ADM client, our team became aware of the incredible work that the foundation does to improve the lives of hospitalized children. We knew immediately that this was a foundation we wanted to support.
In February, we aim to raise $10,000 so that the Starlight Foundation can provide 2 Nintendo Switch gaming stations to the Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin. These consoles will provide hours of entertainment and distraction to children while they receive care and recover.
Our fundraising efforts are spearheaded by ADM’s Vice President, John Major. John is so committed to the cause, that he has agreed to shave his head if we reach our goal.
To help us reach our goal, donate to our fundraiser. Also, share this article to help spread word of the work that the Starlight Foundation does to bring happiness to seriously ill children.
What Starlight Does
Since the foundation was established in 1982, Starlight has helped more than 17 million seriously ill children have a better experience in the hospital. They do this in a variety of ways including:
Virtual Reality and Gaming
Starlight provides wireless virtual reality systems that are pre-programed with games and apps to help distract kids during medical procedures and recovery. These virtual reality systems can be controlled by patients with limited mobility as well as those with full mobility.
Virtual reality can be used during frightening procedures or treatments to help manage pain as well as providing distraction. It can also be used outside of treatments to help patients cope with a long hospital stay. So far, Starlight has provided over 1,800 virtual reality headsets and more than 18,000 children have experienced the benefits.
In addition to virtual reality, Starlight provides Nintendo video game consoles which allow children to play games alone or with a group. These game consoles are manufactured to meet strict infection safety protocols so that they are safe for all children to use. They are also easily transportable anywhere in a hospital so they can be used in a treatment room or in a designated play area.
Games provide distraction and a sense of normalcy for kids who spend a significant amount of time in the hospital. They can also provide social interaction in playrooms or group settings for children to interact with each other, their families and their medical staff. To date, Starlight has provided more than 7,200 gaming stations in more than 800 hospitals and healthcare centers.
Hospital Wear
Traditional hospital gowns can be uncomfortable and embarrassing for children. So, Starlight replaces these gowns with ones that are comfortable and brightly colored. Some Starlight Gowns even feature children’s favorite characters.
Starlight Gowns are designed with sleeves that snap and ties down the side to provide better coverage for kids without compromising access for hospital staff. More than nine out of ten parents believe that a Starlight Gown makes their child feel better about how they look. Additionally, 87% of hospital staff believe that Starlight Gowns make it easier to perform routine medical tasks and make those tasks less stressful for children. So far, Starlight has distributed more than 260,000 gowns.
Deliveries and Spaces
In addition to virtual reality headsets and gaming consoles, Starlight provides hundreds of thousands of books, toys, games, and crafts to seriously ill children through partnerships with companies like Disney, Radio Flyer, and WowWee. Through these partnerships, Starlight has provided more than 1.6 million books, toys, crafts, and other items.
Often, seriously ill children cannot leave the hospital while undergoing treatment. To make their stay more enjoyable, Starlight renovates spaces in hospitals and healthcare centers. These projects include re-imagined playrooms, treatment rooms, waiting rooms, and outdoor playgrounds. Renovated spaces are safer and more fun for children and their families. To date, Starlight has renovated more than 100 spaces which have improved the experience of more than 3.2 million children and their families.
Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin
Children’s Wisconsin is an independent, not-for-profit health care system which includes the Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin, one of the best pediatric hospitals in the nation. In fact, Children’s Wisconsin was ranked among the best children’s hospitals in six specialties by U.S. News & World Reports for 2021-22. To earn this designation, Children’s Wisconsin ranked in the top 50 pediatric hospitals in the nation for cancer treatments, cardiology, gastroenterology, neurology, orthopedics, and pulmonology.
The doctors and nurses at Children’s Wisconsin are some of the best in the country. In fact, over 150 physicians at Children’s Wisconsin are listed as Best Doctors in America®. Also, in 2020, Children’s Wisconsin earned the Magnet designation for the fourth time from the American Nurses Credentialing Center. This is the premier designation for nursing in the United States. Only about 7% of hospitals earn the designation and only 3% earn re-designation. The doctors and nurses make Children’s Wisconsin one of the best places in the country for children to receive care.
Donate to Help Bring Gaming Systems to Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin
Parents travel from all over to have their children treated by the world class pediatricians, pediatric surgeons, and nurses at Children’s Wisconsin. At ADM, we want to make their stay a little bit easier. By working with the Starlight Foundation, we can help bring gaming stations to the children receiving treatment in Milwaukee.
If we meet our goal, Vice President, John Major, will shave his head!
Since we began working with the Starlight Foundation, our employees have seen the positive impact that this organization has on the lives of seriously and chronically ill children. We are so excited to support this phenomenal organization that our Vice President, John Major, has agreed to cut off all of his hair if we are able to meet our goal of raising $10,000 in February.
To help us bring Nintendo Switch consoles to the Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin, and help our Vice President get a haircut, donate to our fundraiser. Additionally, help spread word of the impact that the Starlight Foundation has on children’s happiness by sharing this article with your friends and family.
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