Lifting the spirits of hospitalized children through the magic of first run films
For many of us, films are a business. But for thousands of kids who aren't able to leave the hospital, they represent rare moments of normalcy, magic and escape.
Reel Angels' goal is to bring the joy of first-run films to hospital-bound children. But, our mission is only feasible with the invaluable support of motion picture studios and producers. Films participating in our program are normally screened solely on a one-time basis, under highly controlled surroundings, so as to alleviate concerns of piracy. We need your help!
Our industry is highly effective in marketing its family films to children around the world. Hospital-bound kids, often having little else to do, watch countless hours of television, and are heavily exposed to advertisement. They eagerly look forward to the next new movie release. The tragedy is that sick children, who arguably may need and benefit from our entertainment the most, must face the disappointment of not seeing the films that their friends and family get to experience in the theatres. We can make that change!
Please take a moment to review the below proposal, which includes a list of our team, and feel free to contact us with any questions (or, better yet, to donate a film!).
Download PDF Version of the Electronic Press Kit
Mission Statement
Reel Angels’ mission is to benefit hospital-bound children by providing diversional therapy through entertainment, offering them normalcy, joy and a distraction from their treatments, loneliness and fear.
Purpose
Most children with terminal illnesses are hospitalized for months at a time. Even if they make brief visits home, they are often unable to spend a Saturday at the movies or enjoy other simple childhood pleasures. Their weakened immune systems make the threat of infection far too great.
But just like their healthy friends and siblings, sick children eagerly look forward to each big movie. We all know that waiting even a few months for a DVD release can seem like an eternity for most children, and for some, time is very precious. Rather than allowing these special kids to feel left out, Reel Angels brings them the magic of the movies while still in first-run. By doing so, we help them escape their surroundings; the gray walls, the ominous equipment, and tinted windows. Even if just for a couple of hours, the kids get a chance to leave some of their pain behind, spend quality time with their families, and smile at the stories and pictures unfolding before them.
How Movies Help Kids (Diversional Therapy)
Contributing to mental and physical wellness through diversion, known as Diversional Therapy, is a main objective of Reel Angels. For many children with chronic and terminal illnesses, the hospital’s activity room provides the only escape from the monotony of their daily lives. In the activity room, kids can access the Internet, read magazines, color, play games and make friends.
But because the children spend an average of only three hours a day in the activity room, the vast majority of their time is spent in bed watching television. Therefore, they receive significant exposure to the advertising generated for upcoming film releases. By allowing Reel Angels to bring first-run films to hospitals, the studios and producers provide a rare opportunity to bring a sense of normalcy into the kids’ lives, help give them hope, and offer them a positive and curative diversion from their illnesses.
The Senior Vice President and Administrator of Loma Linda University Children’s Hospital (LLUCH), Zareh Sarrafian, is excited about incorporating Reel Angels into the hospital’s Child Life program. He feels that we can help in ways that are unique and different from existing programs. "Reel Angels has recognized the importance of Diversional Therapy in a child's healing. This opportunity to allow kids moments of normalcy and fun while hospitalized greatly enhances the work that we do," says Zareh. "We are grateful for Reel Angels' vision and partnership in making this happen." He believes that teaming with Reel Angels provides LLUCH with a wonderful opportunity to be on the cutting edge of a promising program that will benefit children for years to come.
How Reel Angels Benefits the Studios
Reel Angels creates a wonderful experience for everyone involved with its special screenings. In addition to the obvious philanthropic benefits, participating in the Reel Angels program can have a significantly positive impact on a film’s awareness levels. Only a limited number of children are able to participate in each Reel Angels screening (roughly 30-75 people per event). However, each year, approximately 1.2 million children, plus their families and friends, pass through the doors of LLUCH alone. This works out to be approximately 400,000 people per month; 92,000 people per week; or 13,000 people per day. Backed by the full cooperation of our partner hospitals, Reel Angels can help promote and increase visibility of films by displaying standees in lobbies and other high-traffic areas, hanging one-sheets in kids’ rooms, and creating general buzz about featured films with parents and friends. Not only do these efforts support studio marketing endeavors, but they also bring real happiness to the kids by decorating their surroundings with fun images, and increasing their anticipation of “the big event.” We are enthusiastic to explore any other ideas that studios may have in this regard.
Talent Involvement and Merchandise
With the help of the studios’ philanthropy and publicity departments, we can provide the children not only a movie to watch, but also an event to remember forever. One of Reel Angels’ major goals is to involve talent whenever possible - even if to spend just a short time greeting the children before a special screening. To-date, we have had a number of actors participate in Reel Angels events, and each found the experience to be extremely rewarding. We realize that, with the theatrical release of a film, talent schedules are extremely busy. Needless to say, we will work our dates and times around talent availability as much as possible. We are also happy to schedule special screenings at locations near or important to talent.
Reel Angels has many exciting ideas for contests and similar activities that we plan to implement with the children, tying in with each film. We would be grateful for any books, merchandise, and/or one-sheets the studios would be willing to donate as prizes or for talent meet-and-greet events.
The Future of Reel Angels
Reel Angels plans to gradually expand to numerous children’s hospitals throughout the country, showing at least one film per month at each hospital. In addition, we are in the process of implementing a program that would allow us to distribute family films as they are released on DVD to all of the participating hospital playrooms. Eventually, we would like to expand this effort to include video games and the game platforms, as well.
In Conclusion
Reel Angels is extremely appreciative of your consideration, and looks forward to answering any questions that may arise. Together with your generous support, we know we can help make a difference in the lives of hospital-bound children!
Contact Information
For screenings/publicity:
Jessica Angel - President/Founder
1-877-266-2070
jessica@reelangels.org
For fundraising:
Robert Ramos
(323) 371-0465
rramos4436@yahoo.com