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One of the primary ways we are able to impact seriously ill
children in the Calgary Region is through our Great
Escapes Program . The variety of activities offered through
Great Escapes is endless: movie screenings, circus trips,
harbour cruises, mother-daughter makeovers, sporting events,
picnics and more. Starlight Starbright and our corporate partners
and donors underwrite all event costs to make every Great
Escape an "all inclusive" affair, allowing families to relax
and enjoy themselves while someone else worries about the
details.
In many hospitals throughout Alberta, pediatric patients
and their families have access to Starlight Starbright Fun
Centers - mobile entertainment units equipped with a flat
screen monitor, DVD player and a Nintendo Wii System. Fun
Centers roll right up to the side of young patients' beds
or anywhere in a hospital setting, making them perfect for
hospitalized children in numerous situations: anticipating
surgery, during long outpatient clinic treatments, waiting
in the emergency room or fighting loneliness after visiting
hours have ended.
Another Starlight Starbright hospital program is the PC
Pal program. PC Pals are laptop computers that provide
pediatric patients with a variety of entertaining and educational
software, Starlight Starbright's media programs, and filtered
Internet access. Contact
us to learn how you can help bring PC Pals to your community.
Outside the hospital, families are able to access Starlight
Starbright Children's Foundation's online
educational programs that help children and their families
learn more about their conditions, understand various medical
procedures, and encourage them to communicate with healthcare
providers. Some are geared toward reducing fear and increasing
understanding before medical treatment, while others are designed
to help children cope with their illnesses over the long term,
but each of the programs strives to empower children in the
face of their illnesses.
Many teens in are also part of Starbright
World, our private and secure Web-based social network
developed for teens living with a chronic or serious illness
(and their siblings) to help them connect with other kids
in similar situations.
If you would like to help make a difference for children
and families, please click here.
Together we can help them cope with their pain, fear and isolation.
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