The STARBRIGHT Foundation's Capital Campaign Chairman, General H. Norman Schwarzkopf, and Ronald McDonald House Charities® President and CEO, Ken Barun visited a Tampa, Florida Ronald McDonald House today to unveil the STARBRIGHT Explorer Series CD-ROMs. These eight interactive programs are designed to help educate seriously ill and injured children, ages 6 to 15, about common medical conditions and procedures to promote communication and empower children to take control of their lives in the face of illness.

"The support of Ronald McDonald House Charities has made it possible for STARBRIGHT to distribute the STARBRIGHT Explorer Series CD-ROMs which will make a significant impact in a child's ability to understand and cope with their medical condition. The STARBRIGHT Explorer Series will be available free of charge to seriously ill children, their families and healthcare professionals in the United States," said Schwarzkopf.

Ronald McDonald House Charities and the STARBRIGHT Foundation are introducing a series of eight interactive CD-ROMs designed to help seriously ill and injured children understand and cope with their medical conditions. The CD-ROMs are available free of charge to seriously ill children, their families and healthcare professionals by calling 1-800-315-3580 or visiting www.starbright.org.
Recent evidence has shown that withholding medical information from seriously ill and injured children exacerbates children's social and emotional challenges. It is now widely believed by the medical community that children should receive information as soon and as completely as possible in a language that they can understand. Thus, STARBRIGHT created the Explorer Series by working collaboratively with a multidisciplinary team of healthcare professionals and children. The team identified gaps in existing educational healthcare materials available to children and defined the key issues and concerns of children with serious medical conditions.

"We know how important it is for seriously ill children to feel as empowered and knowledgeable as possible," says Barun. "We are delighted to lend our support to STARBRIGHT on this extremely worthy endeavor to help ill children everywhere."

The STARBRIGHT Explorer Series is a set of unique interactive CD-ROMs that feature graphics, animation and audio. These programs give children and teens empowering and engaging medical information in a format most suited to their age group and developmental stage. In addition, the programs promote adherence and encourage communication with the healthcare team to help children cope with the issues related to their illness.

"I can talk to others about my Sickle Cell better and I have become a stronger person when it comes to my illness," said "Susie," an 11-year-old from Aberdeen, Mississippi.

The STARBRIGHT Explorer Series CD-ROM is comprised of eight programs. The series includes:

Blood Tests: Exploring Our Incredible Blood (ages 10-15)
Spotlight on IVs (ages 6-10)
The Sickle Cell Slime-O-Rama Game (ages 8-12, winner of the Bronze Invision 2000 Award)
Medical Imaging: Welcome to the Radiology Center (ages 6-10)
Cystic Fibrosis: Fitting CF into Your Life Every Day (ages 10-15, winner of the Gold Invision 1999 Award)
Living with Kidney Disease (ages 10-15)
Uncovering the Mysteries of Bone Marrow: Aspiration and Biopsy (ages 10-15)
Spinal Tap: Discovering the Secrets of Spinal Fluid (ages 10-15)
Ronald McDonald House Charities has given STARBRIGHT a grant to ensure that these unique programs will be distributed to children and families across the country. The development of the Explorer Series was funded by The Paul G. Allen Foundation for Medical Research. Technicolor, a leading innovator in motion picture technology, donated the manufacturing and packaging of the CD-ROMs.

STARBRIGHT Explorer Series CD-ROMs are available free of charge to children, their families and healthcare professionals by calling 800-315-2580 or visiting http://www.starbright.org.

About Ronald McDonald House Charities
Ronald McDonald House Charities, a non-profit, 501(c) 3, creates, finds and supports programs that directly improve the health and well being of children worldwide. Its goal is to make an immediate, positive impact on as many children as possible through its global network of 171 local Charities in 43 countries. In addition to its cornerstone Ronald McDonald House and Ronald McDonald Care Mobile programs, the Charity makes grants to not-for-profit organizations to help children everywhere. To date, Ronald McDonald House Charities' national body and global network of local Chapters have awarded more than $300 million in grants to children's programs worldwide.

About The STARBRIGHT Foundation
The STARBRIGHT® Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to the creation of programs that empower children with serious illness to better manage their disease, and cope with the social and emotional challenges that accompany illness. Through the efforts of Chairmen Steven Spielberg and General H. Norman Schwarzkopf, leaders from the worlds of pediatric healthcare, technology and entertainment have come together to create programs that are entertaining and educational for children and serve as tools for healthcare professionals and parents. To order the STARBRIGHT Explorer Series or for more information, please call 800-315-2580 or visit www.starbright.org or www.rmhc.org.

McDonald's Corporation

McDonald's Corporation

McDonald’s is the world’s leading global foodservice retailer with nearly 40,000 locations in over 100 countries. Approximately 95% of McDonald’s restaurants worldwide are owned and operated by independent local business owners.

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