This weekend will be a celebration of all things Star Wars in Orlando as fans and industry insiders descend on the city for Star Wars Celebration 2017. With the celebrating and revelations related to all things Star Wars, there is another announcement that is equally out of this world and affects some real people in significant ways.
The Starlight Children’s Foundation announced today that they have teamed with Star Wars: Force for Change and Google on a groundbreaking program that will entertain and inspire called Starlight Virtual Reality. The 35 year old charity will be unlocking the imaginations of hospitalized young people across the US with a new venture that will roll out later this year. According to a release from the charity;
Imagine being stuck in the hospital for days, weeks or even months. Now imagine transforming into a Star Wars character and being transported to a galaxy far, far away using the magic of virtual reality. This experience, and many others powered by Google, will soon be possible thanks to Star Wars: Force for Change, an initiative from Lucasfilm that harnesses the power of Star Wars to empower and improve the lives of children around the world. Lucasfilm’s parent organization, The Walt Disney Company, is a longtime supporter of children’s hospitals and of Starlight Children’s Foundation.
Starlight VR will be a physical program geared toward entertainment and distraction purposes for use with children. In addition to the exclusive Star Wars VR content, the program will incorporate many of Google’s VR technologies, including: Google Expeditions, virtual field trips to the world’s most amazing places for children over the age of 7, as well as Daydream, Google Earth VR, and Tilt Brush for children over the age of 13. Starlight VR will be stored in a hygienic, user-friendly encasement that can easily move throughout a hospital in a secure mobile storage unit, and will also include a stationary, fully interactive VR experience.
There will be a special event at Florida Hospital for Children in Orlando ahead of Star Wars Celebration April 13-16. This is an exciting venture that has the power to benefit the lives of so many young people. It’s gratifying to see so many different entities come together to create this experience for young people all across the country. To learn more about and support Starlight’s work, visit them at their website www.starlight.org and to learn more about Force for Change from Star Wars and Disney, visit their website at www.ForceForChange.com .
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