Harmonix Music Systems, Inc. and MTV Games are making a generous minimum $50,000 gift to Starlight Children’s Foundation to bring the power of music to children facing chronic and life-threatening illnesses. The partnership will allow Harmonix, the world’s premiere music video game development company and creators of Rock Band, and MTV Games, publisher of Rock Band, to give Starlight children the chance to relax, enjoy and rock out to music in a fully interactive and social setting. In addition, more than 650 Rock Band bundles have been provided to Starlight’s seriously ill children at its Great Escape family events and to hospitals around the country.  
 
“We’re honored to work with Starlight, which has an amazing tradition of offering support to seriously ill children,” said Alex Rigopulos, CEO and co-founder of Harmonix Music Systems. “We hope that our contribution will give these deserving families a new avenue to spend time together and enjoy great music.”
 
Paul DeGooyer, Senior Vice President of Electronic Games and Music for MTV Networks Music & Logo Group, added: “We’re very excited to be part of a program enabling Starlight kids and their families to rock out a bit through our placement of games in hospitals and at family events, facilitating once-in-a-lifetime getaways, and donations. It truly is a privilege to help Starlight and its mission.”
 
Beyond the monetary gift and product donation, the partnership will:

•  enable select Starlight families to attend the Rock Band tour events,
• provide Rock Band bundles to Starlight families at Starlight’s Great Escapes family activities,
• provide Rock Band bundles to pediatric patients at select Starlight hospital partners, and
• provide Rock Band themed Great Escape family activities, which will be hosted for Starlight families by Harmonix and MTV Games.

 
Great Escapes (www.starlight.org/greatescapes) is a program created by Starlight to provide families with seriously ill children with a chance to spend recreational time together to relax, regroup and return home with a renewed sense of strength and hope. Great Escapes include movie screenings, trips to the circus, ball games, harbor cruises, mother-daughter makeovers, picnics, pajama parties and many more special activities. Starlight currently provides regular Great Escapes in more than 30 communities throughout the country.
 
The Rock Band themed Great Escapes will give Starlight children and family members a behind-the-scenes look at Rock Band, a chance to meet the game’s creators, a sneak peak at new content and other once-in-a-lifetime experiences.
 
“We all know that music is healing, and we are expecting Rock Band products to have a powerful, therapeutic effect on our children,” said Paula Van Ness, CEO of Starlight Children’s Foundation. “Rock Band will provide distractive entertainment therapy for thousands of seriously ill children and their families, both in the hospital setting and on an out-patient basis.”