For more than twenty, the Starlight Children’s Foundation has taken a different approach to helping youngsters undergoing medical treatment feel better. Rather than focus on the medical mechanics of patient care, this distinct nonprofit charity has dedicated itself to easing the fears, worries and pains children often suffer while undergoing treatment. It achieves its goals by providing a host of services within clinics and hospitals directly and also through an array of outreach programs designed to ease the burdens on the entire family.

The Starlight Children’s Foundation has locations throughout the United States. It also operates internationally in countries such as Canada, Japan, the United Kingdom and Australia. The nonprofit group reaches out to sick children by working to improve their quality of life by providing them with education, entertainment and family activities. Efforts are designed to help youngsters cope with pain, fear and the isolation that often accompanies long illnesses. It is estimated that some 180,000 children a month are impacted by the Starlight Foundation’s programs in one way or another.

Programs offered by the foundation include:

Family activities and outings for youngsters – The foundation believes in giving families and patients a break from the rigors of care when it is feasible. To this end, the organization offers regular activities and outings away from hospital settings. These localized events are designed not only to take patients’ minds away from their illnesses, but also to help families facing similar situations create connections between each other.

Playrooms – The Starlight Children’s Foundation has, to date, constructed over 60 children’s playrooms and lounges for teens in hospitals throughout America. These are designed to give youngsters a place to go to simply play, relax and be youngsters while they are receiving care. These rooms also serve as the “stage” for special events designed to take children’s minds off their worries.

Special events – The organizations hosts a variety of special events within hospitals to help ease patients’ minds. During these events, performers, such as musicians, clowns and others, come in and put on a show specifically for young patients.

Tech-based programs – Starlight has tapped into the power of the Internet to connect children through online communities to others undergoing similar treatments. In addition, the organization has mobile entertainment centers and offers laptop computers to youngsters to help them stay connected with their family, friends and schoolwork while they are undergoing treatment. Enabling children to stay connected with loved ones and “normal,” everyday-interests helps them combat the feelings of isolation they often must endure.

Educational programming – One of the foundation’s biggest outreach efforts involves the creation of CDs and DVDs that are meant to help youngsters understand the treatments they will be receiving. These instructional programs are meant to lessen the worry children feel and help them better prepare for what they will be facing. Starlight’s educational programs are designed to be age appropriate.

With a mission to restore sick children’s spirits, the Starlight Foundation relies on donations from individuals to keep it going. For more information about the group, visit www.starlight.org.