If you happen to see a princess or a superhero walking down the halls of a children’s hospital, you’re seeing the work of A Moment of Magic.
It all started as a text message between two friends at the College of Mount Saint Vincent. Kylee McGrane was home on winter break, watching the movie “Frozen” with her family. It occurred to her that the two princesses in the movie–Anna and Elsa—resembled Kylee and her friend, Maggie McAndrew. So Kylee texted Maggie with an idea: What if we dressed up like those two princesses, and visited sick kids in children’s hospitals? The two friends had always been passionate about helping others, so this seemed like a great fit. And that led to the beginning of A Moment of Magic.
College students who volunteer in the program visit hospitals and schools to spend time with very special kids. They provide services such as bedside visits, group visits, Skype visits, sing-a-longs, story readings, and other special events. The program has now been adopted by colleges and universities across the United States.
Volunteers with A Moment of Magic have served more than 2700 hours, across 18 states and two countries, visiting over 7,000 children. The characters and costumes may all be pretend, but the joy and hope that they bring is absolutely real.