Starlight Foundation and local content creator visit children’s hospital

DANVILLE, Pa. – A local gamer and content creator visited Geisinger Janet Weis Children’s Hospital last week to witness firsthand how his fundraising efforts impact pediatric patients. 

Through the support of his online community, DGR Dave, who resides in the Altoona area, raised more than $80,000 for Starlight Children’s Foundation. Because of DGR Dave’s efforts, the the foundation funded two Starlight Gaming Stations for Geisinger Janet Weis Children’s Hospital and other children’s hospitals outside the area. The gaming stations are designed to roll anywhere in the hospital, allowing patients in-room entertainment and distractions during hospital stays.

DGR Dave has a special connection to Geisinger Janet Weis Children’s Hospital. His wife Amanda, who accompanied him to the event, had emergency surgery at the hospital that saved her life when she was a teenager.

“We are very grateful for the hard work of Dave and the generosity of the Starlight Foundation to supply our hospital with these gaming systems,” said Glenn Bernius, director of philanthropy for women’s & children’s services with Geisinger Health Foundation. “Our pediatric patients are dealing with serious illness or injury, and for some, that means staying at the hospital for an extended period.  Providing our patients with entertainment goes a long way toward making the child and their family more comfortable during trying times.”

Starlight also surprised DGR Dave with a special award during the ceremony — the Content Creator of the Year Award.

“We’re grateful for partners like DGR Dave and Geisinger Janet Weis Children’s Hospital for supporting our mission of creating moments of happiness to help kids with illnesses heal,” said Devan Tozzo, community engagement coordinator at Starlight Children’s Foundation.

After the ceremony, DGR Dave played a few games with a patient on the new gaming equipment.

“As a dad of two daughters, there is no greater joy than seeing your kids happy. Knowing that the funds we raised are able to help make more kids happy, especially kids that are dealing with difficult circumstances out of their control, is an incredibly humbling feeling,” DGR Dave said.

About Geisinger
Geisinger is among the nation’s leading providers of value-based care, serving 1.2 million people in urban and rural communities across Pennsylvania. Founded in 1915 by philanthropist Abigail Geisinger, the non-profit system generates $10 billion in annual revenues across 134 care sites - including 10 hospital campuses, and Geisinger Health Plan, with 600,000 members in commercial and government plans. The Geisinger College of Health Sciences educates more than 5,000 medical professionals annually and conducts more than 1,400 clinical research studies. With 26,000 employees, including 1,600 employed physicians, Geisinger is among Pennsylvania’s largest employers with an estimated economic impact of $14 billion to the state’s economy. On March 31, 2024, Geisinger became the first member of Risant Health, a new nonprofit charitable organization created to expand and accelerate value-based care across the country.  Learn more at geisinger.org or connect with us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and X.