Young Actress Bailee Madison Helps Starlight Children’s Foundation Kick Off 30th Anniversary Celebration with Starlight Day May 3
Young star steps in to expanded role as official Starlight Ambassador and spokesperson for Starlight Day
Friday May 3, 2013 (Los Angeles, CA) – Actress Bailee Madison, who appeared most recently in the movie “Parental Guidance” and stars as young Snow White on the hit ABC show “Once Upon a Time,” is expanding her role with Starlight Children’s Foundation™ by becoming a Starlight Ambassador and helping the organization kick off its 30th anniversary celebration with a variety of activities scheduled around Starlight Day on May 3.
Starlight Day’s captivating one-day Twitter campaign calls attention to the millions of hospitalized kids around the world and highlights Starlight’s role in partnering with hospitals to support these kids every day. Bailee was first inspired by Starlight’s work after attending the organization’s Los Angeles gala in 2008. Since then, she has appeared in public service announcements, attended hospital and community-based events and co-hosted Starlight’s annual gala, the very same event that first drew her to the cause.
“Through Starlight, I have learned firsthand that it’s not only the child that is affected by chronic illness, but the entire family. I am so excited to begin this next chapter as a Starlight Ambassador and to lead Starlight Day,” says Bailee, now 13 years old. “It's the perfect way to show how Starlight brings a sense of childhood to hospitalized kids every day.”
There are several ways that people can join Bailee in celebrating Starlight Day:
- In the morning Bailee will make a special stop at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles where she will visit with kids who are hospitalized with serious or chronic illness.
- At 4pm PST, fans will get the chance to Tweet questions to Bailee using #Starlight30 during a live Twitter Video Chat. To further her connection with kids impacted by Starlight’s programming, members of Starbright World™, Starlight’s online social network for teens with chronic illness and their teenage siblings, will also take part in the conversation.
Starlight’s Starlight Day Twitter campaign encourages people to join Starlight (@StarlightOnline) and Bailee (@BaileeMadison) in the conversation by Tweeting memories or photos of what reminds them of childhood using #Starlight30 and follow @StarlightOnline to join Starlight’s mission.
The Starlight Day Twitter campaign connects vivid images like Saturday morning cartoons and playing in the sprinklers - things that remind us of our own childhood - to how hospitalization and illness impact childhood for millions of kids every day.
“Bailee Madison’s genuine compassion for hospitalized children makes her a powerful spokesperson for this special awareness campaign. We are honored to have Bailee’s support for our mission and her leadership on Starlight Day.” says Jacqueline Hart-Ibrahim, Global CEO of Starlight Children’s Foundation.
According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human services, 3 million children are hospitalized in the U.S. every year. Many of these are repeat hospitalizations due to chronic illness.
Starlight supports hospitalized kids with programs in more than 1,750 health care facilities and every major pediatric hospital in Australia, Canada, Israel, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States, serving millions of children every year.
Starlight’s programs include the Starlight Fun Center™, mobile entertainment units containing the latest gaming system that roll bedside in hospitals to provide distractive entertainment and therapeutic play for pediatric patients, and Starlight Tablets, a critical resource for healthcare professionals to support the ongoing needs of kids while in the hospital. Starlight Tablets come loaded with links to Starlight’s educational programming and Starbright World, the first-ever online social network for teens with chronic and life-threatening medical conditions, and their siblings.
For more information about Starlight Children’s Foundation, visit www.starlight.org
About Bailee Madison At just 13, Bailee Madison is already a versatile actress who has showcased her talent across the board, effortlessly executing both dramatic and comedic roles. Most recently, Bailee starred alongside Marisa Tomei, Bette Midler and Billy Crystal in 20th Century Fox and Walden Media’s film “Parental Guidance.” She has a popular, recurring role as ‘Little Snow’ in ABC’s hit drama “Once Upon a Time.” Bailee first captured hearts as ‘May Belle’ in Disney’s “Bridge to Terabithia.” Since then, she has starred alongside some of Hollywood’s brightest talents, including Katie Holmes and Guy Pearce in Guillermo Del Toro’s thriller “Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark,” Natalie Portman, Tobey Maguire and Jake Gyllenhaal in “Brothers,” and Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston in “Just Go With It.” She is also beloved for her role as ‘Maxine’ in Disney Channel’s “Wizards of Waverly Place.”
About Starlight Children’s Foundation Over the past 30 years, Starlight Children’s Foundation™ has become a leading global charity that partners with experts to improve the life and health of kids and families around the world. Collaborating with innovators in pediatric healthcare, entertainment and technology, Starlight provides a unique blend of family-centered programs and services from hospital to home. Starlight partners with more than 1,750 healthcare facilities and pediatric hospitals in Australia, Canada, Israel, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States, serving millions of children every year. To learn more, visit www.starlight.org, or follow us at facebook.com/StarlightChildrensFoundation and twitter.com/StarlightOnline.
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Tenaya Wallace
Starlight Children's Foundation, Communications Manager
424.245.3661
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