Harmonix Music Systems and MTV Games have announced a very generous donation of a minimum of 50 thousand USD to the Starlight Children’s Foundation. This is aimed at giving the gift of music to children with chronic and life-threatening illnesses.
Harmonix, the creators of Rock Band and MTV Games, the publishers of Rock Band will team up to give Starlight children an opportunity to forget their woes and party with more than 650 of its Rock Band bundles provided to hospitals all over the country and at Starlight’s Great Escapes family activities program events.
“We all know that music is healing, and we are expecting Rock Band products to have a powerful, therapeutic effect on our children,” acknowledged Paula Van Ness, CEO of Starlight Children’s Foundation. “Rock Band will provide ‘distractive entertainment therapy’ for thousands of seriously ill children and their families, both in the hospital setting and on an out-patient basis.”
“We’re honored to work with Starlight, which has an amazing tradition of offering support to seriously ill children,” asserted Alex Rigopulos, CEO and co-founder of Harmonix Music Systems. “We hope that our contribution will give these deserving families a new avenue to spend time together and enjoy great music.”
In addition to the Rock Band equipment that MTV Games and Harmonix will be handing out, the joint venture will also brings Starlight families closer by holding family events centered around Rock Band fun.
Paul DeGooyer, senior VP of Electronic Games and Music for MTV Networks Music & Logo Group, added by saying, “We’re very excited to be part of a program enabling Starlight kids and their families to rock out a bit through our placement of games in hospitals and at family events, facilitating once-in-a-lifetime getaways, and donations. It truly is a privilege to help Starlight and its mission.”
The Great Escapes events with Rock Band themes will give the Starlight children and their families a look at Rock Band, the game’s creators and a peek into its new content.