Tri-State Cadillac Dealers Team with CBS EcoMedia to Deliver 56 Starlight Children’s Foundation® Tablets to 13 Regional Hospitals

NEW YORK, August 20, 2013 /3BL Media/ – Tri-State Cadillac Dealers have worked with CBS EcoMedia Inc. through their WellnessAd advertising to fund 56 Starlight Tablets for 13 Tri-State area hospitals.

A special “Power On!” ceremony launched the program on Tuesday morning. The celebration took place at CBS Broadcast Center and attendees included representatives from all Tri-State area Cadillac dealers, executives of Starlight Children’s Foundation and hospital representatives. Hosts included: the President of the Tri-State Cadillac Marketing Association, Sammy Bical, who is also from Kristal Auto Mall in Brooklyn; Jacqueline Hart-Ibrahim, global CEO of Starlight Children’s Foundation; Michele Hall-Duncan, Vice President of Programs, NY/NJ/CT; and Paul Polizzotto, president and founder of CBS EcoMedia. Special guests included Starlight kids Tyrese, Nakayla, Kennadi, Kassandra and their family members. The four Starlight families reside in Brooklyn and Astoria, NY.

Following the “Power On!” event at CBS Broadcast Center, members of the Tri-State Cadillac Dealers took private tours of three pediatric units at one of the supported hospitals, NYU Langone Medical Center, to witness the impact of their WellnessAd funding. Cadillac’s financial support delivered a total of 56 Starlight Tablets to the following hospitals: Bridgeport Hospital, Brookdale University Hospital & Medical Center, Chilton Hospital, Steven and Alexandra Cohen Children's Medical Center of New York, Harlem Hospital Center, Jacobi Medical Center, JFK Medical Center, New York Hospital Queens, NYU Langone Medical Center, St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital, Stony Brook Children’s Hospital, Yale New Haven Children’s Hospital Bridgeport Campus, and Winthrop University Hospital. These Starlight Tablets funded by Tri-State Cadillac Dealers will serve 27,272 pediatric patients per year.

Starlight Tablets feature on-demand Starlight digital educational programming and distractive entertainment. In addition, the program provides access to Starbright World, Starlight’s first-ever online social network for teens with chronic and life-threatening medical conditions, and their siblings. Members are able to connect globally with peers experiencing similar medical journeys.

Starlight Tablets are considered a critical resource for healthcare professionals to support the ongoing needs of kids while in the hospital. The tools and resources on a Starlight Tablet aid child life specialists in easing patients’ fears and empowering kids to cope with their diagnosis. Starlight Tablets come loaded with Starlight’s educational programming, a list of recommended applications and six of Starlight’s award-winning online educational programs. The Starlight Tablet is an invaluable way to offer Starlight’s programs and serve the evolving needs of hospitals and children through education, distraction and the healing power of play. 

“I was introduced to Starbright World by my Child Life Specialist,” said Erin, former Starbright World Teen Member. “ As soon as I signed on I found that I had so much support that I now have friends from all four corners of the United States who can relate to what I go through when I am in the hospital. After being a member for a few years, I was asked if I would like to volunteer for the program and now I get to give back to Starlight by welcoming in new users and helping them escape the reality that is the hospital setting.”

“As car dealers we are proud to represent an extraordinary brand like Cadillac, but more importantly we are proud and devoted members of our local community” said Sammy Bical of Kristal Auto Mall in Brooklyn and President of the Tri-State Cadillac Marketing Association. “When you have a chance to partner with premier organizations like EcoMedia and the Starlight Children’s Foundation, you take it.   The Tri-State Cadillac Dealers are happy to have the opportunity to give back and fill this need, helping make these children’s difficult situation a little more bearable”

“This is a hugely significant contribution that the Tri-State Cadillac Dealers have made through their WellnessAd advertising,” said Paul Polizzotto, president and founder of CBS EcoMedia. “These 56 Starlight Tablets are going to impact more than 27,000 pediatric patients in the very communities these dealers live, work, play, and send their children to school. We are honored to have given them the opportunity to partner with Starlight Children’s Foundation on behalf of the many hospitalized kids in 13 area hospitals. We created our public-private partnership model to improve the quality of peoples’ lives and to address the most critical social issues of our time -- and that’s exactly what Cadillac and Starlight Children’s Foundation are helping us do today.”

“Starlight Children’s Foundation improves the life and health of kids and families from hospital to home through generous donations from partners like the Tri-State Cadillac Dealers and CBS EcoMedia,” said Jacqueline Hart-Ibrahim, global CEO of Starlight Children’s Foundation. “The Starlight Tablet is an invaluable way to offer Starlight’s programs and serve the evolving needs of hospitals and children through education, distraction and the healing power of play. Starlight is proud to work with donors and supporters to raise funds and awareness that directly benefit our partner healthcare facilities."

About Tri-State Cadillac Dealers

The Tri-State Cadillac Marketing Association is comprised of 29 dealers located in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, all dedicated to providing their guests with an unparalleled purchase and ownership experience. Cadillac has been a leading luxury automotive brand since 1902 and has engineered a historic renaissance led by artful engineering and advanced technology. Lead by the all-new Cadillac ATS, the North American Car of the Year. More information can be found at media.cadillac.com.

About Starlight Children’s Foundation 

Over the past 30 years, Starlight Children’s Foundation has become a leading global charity that partners with experts to improve the life and health of kids and families around the world. Collaborating with innovators in pediatric healthcare, entertainment and technology, Starlight provides a unique blend of family-centered programs and services from hospital to home. Starlight partners with more than 1,750 healthcare facilities in Australia, Canada, Israel, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States, serving millions of children every year. To learn more, visit www.starlight.org, or follow us at facebook.com/StarlightChildrensFoundation and twitter.com/StarlightOnline.

About CBS EcoMedia Inc.

At EcoMedia, we're propelled by the desire to create positive social change; that's been our mission since we founded the company in 2002. In 2008, after successfully partnering with CBS on a wide range of environmental projects, EcoMedia became the newest addition to the CBS Corporation portfolio, exponentially scaling our reach across television, radio, interactive, publishing and outdoor media. 

Through our patent-pending EcoAd, WellnessAd and EducationAd programs, an innovative twist on traditional advertising, advertisers are able to support much-needed local projects which in turn creates jobs, saves taxpayer money and improves the quality of life in communities nationwide. In the process, we’re fundamentally altering the advertising landscape, elevating the ordinary, traditional commercial – and media, in general – into a catalyst for tangible, quantifiable social change. Please visit ecomediacbs.com to learn more. 

By participating in EcoMedia’s EcoAd, WellnessAd and EducationAd advertising programs, EcoMedia’s advertisers agree to provide funding for projects we believe will have a beneficial effect upon the environment, health and/or education within local communities. EcoMedia’s advertising programs are not certification programs nor are the EcoAd, WellnessAd or EducationAd logos seals of approval. EcoMedia does not in any way certify, endorse or make any representations about EcoMedia program advertisers, their products or services.