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Points of Light Honors 6000th Recipient of the Daily Point of Light Award
College student and founder of A Moment of Magic receives national recognition for work to bring joy to hospitalized children
Today, Points of Light honors Kylee McGrane, founder of A Moment of Magic, with the 6000th Daily Point of Light Award. The award was established in 1989 by President George H.W. Bush to celebrate the power of individuals to create change and improve the world. To this day, it is signed by the President and is presented by Points of Light, the world’s largest organization dedicated to volunteer service.
Inspired by her fondness for children and the Disney movie “Frozen,” McGrane, a graduating senior at the College of Mount Saint Vincent, started her effort in 2014 as a service project. She and a friend began visiting hospitals dressed as the “Frozen” princesses to cheer up children undergoing treatment. The success of the project led McGrane to launch A Moment of Magic – an organization focused on spreading hope, lifting spirits and raising awareness for pediatric cancer. Through the program, student volunteers visit hospitals and attend nonprofit fundraisers dressed as fairytale characters or superheroes, with the goal of bringing joy – and a little magic – to children and families in need of support. To date, McGrane estimates she and her volunteers have met over 5,000 patients.
“By bringing joy to children undergoing medical treatment, Kylee McGrane inspires us all to find creative solutions to the issues affecting our communities,” said President Bush. “That is the spirit of the Daily Point of Light award and I am proud that we can continue to honor and tell the stories of individuals who spark meaningful change in the lives of others.”
A Moment of Magic currently has 12 chapters and more than 400 volunteers and will begin accepting new chapter applications in the fall. With a program that can be adopted by student volunteers at any college or university, McGrane hopes to expand to at least 30 states and 5 countries in 2018 – to reach more than 15,000 children.
Daily Point of Light Awards are given five days a week in the United States and the United Kingdom to honor individuals and groups creating meaningful change to meet community needs; efforts which often lead to long-term solutions and impact social problems in their local communities. President George H. W. Bush was the first president in American history to institute a daily presidential recognition program from the White House, conferring 1,020 Daily Point of Light Awards on citizens and organizations making a big difference in other people’s lives and solving community problems. The 5,000th award was presented in 2013 at a special ceremony at the White House with President Barack Obama and President George H. W. Bush co-presenting and demonstrating the longstanding bipartisan support for volunteer service. The nonpartisan award was adopted by former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom David Cameron in 2014, and the tradition has continued with his successor Theresa May.
About Points of Light
Points of Light – the world’s largest organization dedicated to volunteer service – mobilizes millions of people to take action that is changing the world. Through affiliates in 250 cities and partnerships with thousands of nonprofits and corporations, Points of Light engages 4 million volunteers in 30 million hours of service each year. We bring the power of people to bear where it’s needed most. For more information, go to www.pointsoflight.org.
“By bringing joy to children undergoing medical treatment, Kylee McGrane inspires us all to find creative solutions to the issues affecting our communities,” said President Bush. “That is the spirit of the Daily Point of Light award and I am proud that we can continue to honor and tell the stories of individuals who spark meaningful change in the lives of others.”