We’re excited that today we’ve loaded up our pinball machine, a Stern Iron Man, to drop off at the UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital just down the street here in the Dogpatch in San Francisco. This is part of a test run we’re doing through the Project Pinball Charity.
According to Daniel Spolar: “Project Pinball Charity Group. Inc. assists in enriching children’s lives through active play and distraction from ‘hospital life’. This allows our smallest patients the opportunity to focus on something other than medical tests, medications, treatments and procedures.
“Several studies have shown that therapeutic play is effective in decreasing anxiety and fears for children from the time of admission through time of discharge. By having the opportunity to ‘get away’ and play pinball for a brief moment, the patient and their families can see and feel an improved quality of life through the distraction playing provides,” says Spolar.
Project Pinball chooses different Children’s Hospitals across the nation and establishes a rapport and working relationships with the hospitals to introduce their concept to them. They then reach out to those communities for their help and assistance. The charity relies on people from the community to embrace this gift for their local children in their local Children’s Hospital.
Say Spolar: “We depend on local fundraising, donations, supporters and volunteers in that community to be able to provide top of the line pinball machines and services to hospital wards for all to benefit from.
“These volunteer/ technicians are vital part of this charity operations and is the easy position to get filled because there are wonderful people from these local communities that understand the benefits and want to give back. People and pinball players that have passion to share, who have a love for helping children and a love for pinball as well.
“An example of these committed volunteers is UCSF’s own Andrei Massenkoff a Child Life Teacher, a world ranked pinball player and a volunteer technician. This charity works because of its local support; without it, the Project Pinball charity would not be able to reach as many children as easily and it would take a greater amount of time and money.”
Partnering with Project Pinball Charity is a true win-win for communities, hospitals and patients, parents, grown-ups, doctors and nurses. Project Pinball places pinball machine in Children’s Hospital across the coutry at no cost to the hospital or patients, ever.
If you would like more information and how your can help their 501(c)3 registered nonprofit charity, please visit them at http://www.ProjectPinball.org
