Belle hosts Disney Princess party at Orlando children’s hospital
Belle from “Beauty and the Beast” stopped by AdventHealth for Children to visit and read with patients as part of a Disney Princess party.
Walt Disney World Resort and Starlight Children’s Foundation partnered to host the royal event for patients and their families at the Orlando, Fla. hospital. Starlight also provided hospital wear in the style of favorite Disney characters, from princesses to Marvel super heroes.
“After the stressful week we had, this was the biggest blessing,” said one patient’s mom, Iris. “The moment she put on the gown, she said ‘Mom, I’m a princess.’ It’s amazing to now see her happy, relaxed and motivated.”
Disney and Starlight have partnered for over two decades.
“We are so grateful to collaborate with Disney for so many years to deliver happiness to hospitalized kids and their families,” Starlight CEO said Adam Garone.
Storytime with Belle
Disney provided toys and books for children to pick out during the party, while Belle, an avid bookworm herself, read stories to the partygoers as a group and met with children individually.
“Our characters demonstrate strength and courage, and that’s exactly what we hope to inspire in these young patients,” said Tajiana Ancora-Brown, director of external affairs at Walt Disney World. “Alleviating stress and bringing new, happy memories for families during a hospital stay — even if just for a moment — is some of the most important work we do.”
AdventHealth is the official care provider of Walt Disney World.
“Our clinicians work tirelessly to provide expert care and make hospital stays less scary for our young patients,” said Dr. Rajan Wadhawan, senior executive officer of AdventHealth for Children, “because we’re not just in the business of treating a child’s physical ailments, but treating the whole child — body, mind and spirit.”
Donate to Starlight and AdventHealth
The Disney Princess party was part of Disney’s global commitment of investing $100 million in children’s hospitals, which the company announced in 2018. Other projects completed through this initiative have included Disney-designed spaces in three Central Florida hospitals, as seen in the video below.
Donate to Disney’s efforts with Starlight Children’s Foundation here and donate to AdventHealth for Children here.
