Starlight Children's Foundation Names 2025 Award Honorees Delivering Happiness to Kids in Hospitals

From Hollywood stars to hospital heroes, donors and online creators, Starlight celebrates those making a lasting difference for seriously ill children and their families.

LOS ANGELES, Aug. 13, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The nonprofit Starlight Children's Foundation has established itself as one of the country's broadest-reaching and top-rated charities dedicated to supporting sick children and their families. For over 40 years, Starlight has built a nationwide network of hospitals and pediatric facilities, including children's hospitals, specialty clinics, respite homes and other facilities, providing its donor-funded programs free of charge to care teams. Recognized as an integral part of the pediatric journey, the nonprofit aims to transform the hospital experience for young patients through programs – such as Starlight Gaming, Hospital Gowns, Hero Wagons and Toy Deliveries – designed to unleash the healing power of play and support children's overall well-being on their path to recovery.

"Our work to deliver happiness to hospitalized kids and their families would not be possible without the generosity, creativity and compassion of our honorees," said Adam Garone, CEO of Starlight Children's Foundation. "Each of them has gone above and beyond to help bring comfort, happiness and moments of normalcy to young patients and families during their most challenging times. We're proud to celebrate their extraordinary contributions and the lasting difference they've made in the lives of so many families."

To honor those who have raised the bar in helping Starlight advance its mission of delivering happiness to seriously ill kids and their families, Starlight is pleased to announce the 2025 class of Starlight Award honorees – a group of compassionate and dedicated individuals and teams.

Lifetime Achievement Award: Henry Fields
Being a devoted champion for over 28 years, Henry Fields, former senior counsel and partner at Morrison & Foerster LLP (MoFo), is being honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award. Since 1997, Fields has served on Starlight's board, assuming leadership roles, including membership on the executive committee, audit committee and as vice chair. While MoFo has generously provided pro bono legal services to Starlight since 1991, Fields played a pivotal role in strengthening and sustaining this support throughout his tenure, resulting in over 15,000 hours of pro bono legal services valued at $8.4 million. He retired from MoFo earlier this year, but continues to serve on Starlight's board.

Golden Heart Award: Mena Suvari and Mckenna Grace
Starlight is presenting the Golden Heart Award to longstanding celebrity ambassadors, Mena Suvari and Mckenna Grace, who have supported the nonprofit for over 18 years and 10 years, respectively. From her early involvement at the 2007 A Sparkling Sundae event with Jewelers for Children to her recent contributions in helping launch the Power of Play campaign and Upside-Down Challenge in 2024, Suvari has continually used her voice and platform to uplift hospitalized children.

During a recent hospital visit, Suvari said, "I've always believed in living with gratitude and feel a deep responsibility to give back in any way I can. As a mother, supporting Starlight Children's Foundation over the years has taken on an even deeper meaning than when I first teamed up with them in 2007. Collaborating with an organization that spreads joy and improves the hospital experience for kids is truly a blessing."

As a longtime Starlight ambassador, beginning in 2015 through a variety of activations, Grace's recent contributions include hospital visits in Los Angeles, Atlanta and New York, distributing Ghostbusters-themed gowns while connecting with patients and families in a meaningful way.

Hospital of the Year Award: Cohen Children's Medical Center and Kapi'olani Medical Center for Women & Children
Cohen Children's Medical Center in Queens, New York and Kapi'olani Medical Center for Women & Children in Honolulu, Hawaii, are being recognized with the Hospital of the Year Award. These hospitals have demonstrated exceptional engagement with Starlight's programs, particularly in their care for young patients, collaboration on storytelling initiatives and support in helping Starlight build deeper relationships with key partners through hospital visits and activations. Additionally, these hospitals have demonstrated an extraordinary commitment to Starlight's mission – from providing specialized care services to contributing insights that help improve Starlight programs, making them more inclusive and diverse.

Golden Hero Award: Children's Healthcare of Atlanta Arthur M. Blank Hospital, Kevin Prefer and Debbie and Glen Bickerstaff
The Golden Hero Award recognizes care teams and donors who have demonstrated their unwavering support for improving the hospital experience for children. This year's Golden Hero Award honorees include the Children's Healthcare of Atlanta Arthur M. Blank Hospital, Kevin Prefer, and Debbie and Glen Bickerstaff.

In appreciation of the steadfast work and selfless contributions of the care teams at the Children's Healthcare of Atlanta Arthur M. Blank Hospital, child life, the Zone and Seacrest Studio teams have been named recipients of the Starlight Golden Hero Award. These teams work diligently, utilizing Starlight programs as tools to help pediatric patients feel more at ease and prepared for treatments.

Kevin Prefer, Debbie Bickerstaff and Glen Bickerstaff have also been named recipients of the Starlight Golden Hero Award for their tireless efforts in raising funds for the nonprofit. Prefer, who lost his son Christopher when he was 12 years old, due to medical complications, aims to pay it forward to honor his son's memory. He has raised $30,000 of his $100,000 goal for Starlight and placed three gaming stations at Mount Sinai Kravis Children's Hospital in New York.

Reflecting on how Starlight Gaming positively impacted Christopher during hospital stays, Prefer said, "I know what it did for him. So that's what I want to do for other kids."

Debbie and Glen Bickerstaff are longtime major donors and close friends of Grammy-nominated saxophonist Dave Koz, a Starlight ambassador and past recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award. Recently, the Bickerstaffs donated $50,000 in his honor, in addition to a $10,000 matching gift for the Give Happiness campaign. Since 2004, they have raised over $1 million for Starlight.

Content Creator of the Year Award: TheJang, Quiltoni and NinePointFive
Rounding out the awards, three content creators — TheJang, Quiltoni and NinePointFive — are being honored with the Content Creator of the Year Award. These individuals are dedicated to Starlight's mission, working tirelessly to rally their community to raise awareness and support the cause of bringing happiness to children in hospitals. By streaming their signature content on Twitch, including brick building, quilting and gameplay, they have collectively raised more than $90,000 for Starlight.

According to Garone, Starlight plans to present the honorees with their awards in the upcoming months.

To learn more about the honorees and the awards, please visit starlight.org/awards.

About Starlight Children's Foundation
Hospital stays can be lonely, stressful and scary. That's why Starlight exists. Founded in 1982, Starlight Children's Foundation is a 501(c)3 organization that aims to deliver happiness to seriously ill children and their families through vital programs that impact millions of kids annually. Donor-funded and offered free of charge to hospitals and families, Starlight programs unleash the power of play, empowering kids with a renewed sense of optimism, resilience and courage. Starlight is a top-rated charity committed to the equitable allocation of programs to its nationwide hospital network. Healing begins with happiness™.

Learn more at starlight.org and follow Starlight on social media @starlightchildrensfoundation.

SOURCE Starlight Children’s Foundation