Introducing Our 15th “Fun Center” at UMass Memorial

Vaillancourt Folk Art is proud to have worked with the George A. Ramlose Foundation in the release of the newest Fun Center for the Starlight Foundation of New England at UMass Memorial Children’s Medical Center. Robert Wing, the Director of Child Life Services at Umass Memorial Children’s Medical Center, along with Jonelle Prill-Tate, the Community Development Officer for Starlight Children’s Foundation of New England, unveiled the new Fun Center equipped with a Nintendo Wii and DVD player May 18th at UMass Memorial. The Fun Center plays an important role to hospitalized children who are nervously awaiting surgery, sitting restlessly during a long treatment or lonely in their hospital room, by helping them cope through hours of fun and distraction.

Since 1991, Vaillancourt Folk Art has worked with the Starlight Foundation to help grant wishes for critically ill children, specifically through a portion of the proceeds of their annual Starlight Santa. Since their involvement, Vaillancourt Folk Art has been able to grand 104 wishes and aid in making 15 Fun Centers available for children and their families. Although wishes have been granted to children as far as Texas, Vaillancourt Folk Art has focused their support to the New England foundation.

Vaillancourt Folk Art has had celebrity help in the past with General Hospital star Emma Samms and Dancing With The Stars host Tom Bergeron. Tom Bergeron appeared at the Vaillancourt Studios in 2009 to celebrate 20-years of a relationship between Vaillancourt Folk Art and Starlight Foundation. Gary, Judi and Luke look forward to working with the Starlight Children’s Foundation New England in the years to come.