Starlight's Top 10 Highlights of 2019
2019 was filled with fun firsts, continued traditions and so much more, all of which would not have been possible without our partners, donors, and awesome network of health care facilities.
Check out the Top 10 Favorite Starlight Moments:
Welcoming Adam Garone as New CEO
Adam joined Starlight in early 2019 after serving as co-founder and CEO of the Movember Foundation for 13 years. He jumped right in to grow the organization’s brand, grassroots initiatives, and team to make an even bigger impact for seriously ill kids.
Creating New Starlight Gown Designs With YOU
After launching gowns in 2016, not only have we delivered more than 250,000 gowns to hospitalized gowns, but we’ve also been able to create gowns designed by YOU! In our 2019 Design-A-Gown contest, we had so much fun collaborating with Scholastic and finding our two winners. Matilda and Addison created these two amazing Starlight Gowns that will be put into production next year.
Breaking Records with Dave Koz & Friends
Dave Koz and his generous community set a new record again this year on the Dave Koz & Friends at Sea Cruise, raising over $200,000 to deliver happiness across the country to hospitalized kids. With the funds raised, more than 100 children’s hospitals in the US will receive Starlight Virtual Reality!
Transporting Kids out of the Hospital with Starlight Virtual Reality
Starlight VR was launched in 2018 and, since then, we have placed more than 1,300 headsets in 310 health care facilities delivering happiness to more than 18,000 seriously ill kids. We are so excited to see what is next to come for Starlight VR.
Launching Stream For Starlight & Attending TwitchCon 2019
We branched out into streaming with the launch of Stream For Starlight in September, with 70 streamers and 968 donors raising more than $37,000 for Starlight. The Starlight team even ventured to San Diego for TwitchCon, where we met some of our amazing supporters. The fun continued in December with our 12 Days of Streaming.
Delivering Happiness and MLB Gowns to Seriously Ill Kids
We provided Starlight Kids across the country with team-specific MLB Gowns, as we continued our partnerships with Major League Baseball. Since launching our hospital wear program in 2016, we have delivered more than 250,000 gowns to hospitalized children!
Taking Home Gold at the Shorty Social Good Awards
We were a winner for the second year running at the Shorty Social Good Awards, with Starlight’s Virtual Reality taking home the gold for our impactful work.
Unveiling the Starlight Nintendo Switch Gaming Station
In celebration of our 27-year partnership with Nintendo, we were so excited to announce the 6th generation of the Starlight Nintendo Gaming station. The latest model features the Nintendo Switch, which we are sure hospitalized kids will be just as excited about as we are!
Joining Forces with LiningUp.Net
Since 1999, LiningUp.Net and other Star Wars fans have been lining up on Hollywood Blvd for weeks to see the newest episode of the Star Wars Saga and fundraise for Starlight — and 2019 was no different! They camped out for 10 nights raising awareness and funds for Starlight programs.
Surprising Hospitalized Kids with Baby Shark and PinkFong
We rode the Baby Shark wave by bringing the character and PinkFong along for a surprise hospital visit at the 6th Annual LAC+USC Kidz Health Fair. Do-do-do-do-do-do.
As we head into 2020, you can join Starlight in delivering happiness and our programs, like Gaming and Virtual Reality, by becoming a monthly donor today.
Plus, stay-up-to-date with all of Starlight’s events, announcements and more by signing up for our emails.
