On Wednesday, February 13, 2013 Variety New York officially launched their Movie Magic Program in partnership with The Buster Foundation at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital’s Phillis and David Komansky Center for Children’s Health. A reception was held to honor the launch in the child life playroom of the Komansky Center. During the launch Variety New York revealed six custom made and illustrated DVD carts that fit the Hospital’s needs and specifications. Each cart was equipped with personal and portable DVD players and hundreds of DVD titles that would allow children receiving treatment at the Komansky Center to watch movies from their beds.
Dr. Loughlin, Pediatrician-in-Chief, commented how the addition of the Movie Magic program to the hospital will help uplift the spirits of all the youth receiving treatment by offering an escape from their surroundings. Sharon Granville, Manager of Child Life Services, spoke to the positive psychological effects that something as simple as choosing a DVD title can have for a child that is unable to make decisions or anticipate the day to day processes of his or her treatment. Jessica Bynoe, Executive Director of Variety New York, talked about how the Movie Magic program is yet another way Variety strives to achieve their mission of transforming the lives of children through the arts.
Variety New York has provided the pediatric units at the Komansky Center with 170 personal DVD players and over 1,000 DVDs for the children to enjoy. Each year thousands of children from all over the world are brought to the Komansky Center for medical care. Thanks to the Movie Magic Program, children now have the opportunity to enjoy high-quality child friendly entertainment while receiving treatment at the hospital.
Special thanks to the Buster Foundation for resources to allow this program to happen. Thank you also to Chuck Fisher for donating his time and extraordinary talent to create custom illustrations for the Movie Magic DVD carts. Additionally, thank you to Tony and Freddy Victoria for designing and building DVD carts that are fun and functional in a hospital setting. Finally, thank you to Twentieth Century Fox, Paramount Pictures, Walt Disney Studios and Warner Bros. Studios for donating hundreds of DVDs for the children to enjoy at the hospital.