History

Starlight Children’s Foundation was founded in 1982 (and incorporated in 1983) in Los Angeles by fourth generation filmmaker Peter Samuelson and his cousin, actress Emma Samms after they had worked together to bring a terminally ill young boy from London to Los Angeles to fulfill his lifelong dream – to go to Disneyland. Since its inception, Starlight has provided programming to improve the life and health of kids and families in hospitals and communities around the globe . In 1992, Peter invited filmmaker Steven Spielberg to join him and co-found Starbright (the technology arm of Starlight) in order to harness the power of technology and entertainment in service of the mission.

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 every major pediatric hospital 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.