Disney and National Geographic Bring Joy of Exploration To Children In Hospitals Nationwide

Disney and National Geographic are delivering the joy of exploration to children in hospitals across the country through Starlight Children’s Foundation.

What’s Happening:

Disney and National Geographic helped to deliver the joy of exploration to children in hospitals across the country! We recently donated over 40,000 National Geographic Kids STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) activity kits, toys and books to children’s hospitals and pediatric places of care nationwide, through Starlight Children’s Foundation.

Disney’s legacy of supporting kids and their families when it’s needed most began with Walt Disney himself, who first brought Disney animators and characters to visit hospitalized children back in the 1930s.
Now, nearly a century later, the tradition continues through a $100 million commitment to reimagine the patient experience in children’s hospitals, aligning perfectly with National Geographic’s dedication to inspiring a deeper connection to our world.
Patients at Children’s National Hospital in Washington D.C. were invited to a special event with their families to celebrate the first hospital delivery, focused specifically on STEM, animals and the environment.
The children played with toys, read books and took a much-needed break from the stress of hospitalization. The items were curated to spark the youngsters’ interest in exploration, including books like National Geographic Kids 5-Minute Baby Animal Stories and Little Kids First Big Book of Why. The fun continued with various animal plush toys, and kits that allowed them to grow their own giant crystals, dig for dinosaur fossils, construct their own marble run and more.
The group also had the opportunity to watch some fun clips from National Geographic’s hit show Critter Fixers: Country Vets on a mobile movie theater Disney had previously donated, before meeting one of the stars of the show, Dr. Vernard Hodges.

Dr. Hodges shared his journey of becoming a veterinarian, in the hopes of inspiring the kids to pursue their own careers in STEM fields. He also brought along some furry friends—therapy dogs—to help demonstrate how veterinarians examine animals and use stethoscopes to listen to heartbeats.
Disney first teamed up with Starlight Children’s Foundation over 20 years ago, to bring the positive power of Disney’s stories and characters to its network of children’s hospitals and pediatric places of care throughout the United States.

Disney-themed Starlight hospital gowns and pants, toy deliveries, care packages and access to the latest Disney content are some of the impactful programs that Disney offers to help deliver joy and comfort to children facing illness and the people who care for them.
The National Geographic-themed delivery and event are just one example of Disney’s support of Starlight Children’s Foundation and ongoing work to help deliver joy when it’s needed most. This month, Disney will share some fang-tastic fun by donating Halloween-themed toys, books, costumes and wheelchair wraps to children’s hospitals and pediatric places of care nationwide.

What They’re Saying:

President of National Geographic Content, Courteney Monroe: “I hope some of the National Geographic toys and activity kits we were able to bring helped provide a brief distraction from the day-to-day for these incredibly brave children. At National Geographic, we like to tell stories that entertain and inspire a deeper connection to our world – for both kids and adults – and hopefully we brought a little of that magic today!”
Dr. Vernard Hodges: “What I really hope that the kids took away from this is that we care. To see those smiles, and to see those kids just brighten up when they saw me, brighten up when they got their gifts, brighten up when they saw those animals— I mean, that made my day.”
Senior Director at Starlight Children’s Foundation, Christine Soldner: “We believe every child should continue to explore the wonder and imagination of childhood, no matter what they’re going through. We’re incredibly grateful to Disney and Children’s National Hospital for their continued support in helping us bring our mission to life through this National Geographic-themed event.”
Executive Vice President for Patient Care Services and Chief Operating Officer of Children’s National Hospital, Kathy Gorman, MSN, RN, FAAN: “We are grateful to our wonderful partners for bringing positivity and joy to our hospital and for helping us go beyond medicine to heal a child’s body, mind and spirit.”