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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Seattle, WA August 20th, 2002 – Children undergoing treatment at St. Joseph Hospital are smiling and laughing a little more these days thanks to the recent addition of a multi-media Fun Center donated with the help of Starlight Children’s Foundation and Bartell Drugs.
The Fun Center is a brightly colored, mobile entertainment unit containing a VCR, TV monitor, videocassettes and a Nintendo-64 game system. The multi-media unit is specially designed to roll up to kids wherever they are in the hospital. Reports from medical professionals indicate the distractive entertainment therapy provided by Fun Centers actually decreases children’s requests for pain medication.
“The Fun Center helps kids escape the stress of treatment for a little while and just be kids,” said David Neal, Director of Maternal Child Services at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Bellingham. “Laughter really is pretty good medicine.”
The Fun Center donation is a result of funds raised from the purchase of Colgate-Palmolive products during Bartell’s Founder’s Day Sale in February.
“It is remarkable to see how something as simple as a video game can make a world of difference to a sick child. It has been our privilege to help facilitate the Starlight Children’s Foundation’s goal of providing a Fun Center to the sick children in Washington through this donation,” said George D. Bartell, Chairman and CEO of Bartell Drugs.
Placement of the Fun Center is part of the 12th Anniversary celebration of Colgate-Palmolive’s corporate sponsorship of Starlight Children’s Foundation.
Starlight Children’s Foundation is an international non-profit organization dedicated to improving the quality of life for seriously ill children and their families. Working with more than 1000 hospitals worldwide, the Foundation provides an impressive menu of both in-hospital and outpatient programs and services. A leader in delivering distractive entertainment therapies, over 100,000 children benefit from Starlight’s programs each month. Their website is: www.starlight.org.
About Bartell Drugs:
Bartell Drugs is the nation’s oldest drugstore chain. The family-owned company currently owns and operates 50 stores in Pierce, King and Snohomish counties. Their website is: www.bartelldrugs.com.
About Nintendo Co., Ltd.:
Nintendo Co., Ltd., of Kyoto, Japan, is the worldwide leader in the creation of interactive entertainment. Nintendo of America, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary based in Redmond, Washington, serves as headquarters for Nintendo’s operations in the Western Hemisphere. Their website is www.nintendo.com.
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