By Phil Corso
It’s music to their ears and also helps them heal.
An upcoming music-themed addition to Bayside’s St. Mary’s Hospital was designed to create a soothing environment for recovering patients at the children’s facility and was celebrated last week with a karaoke party featuring children’s songs and current pop hits like “I Gotta Feeling” by the Black Eyed Peas.
“Events like today’s allow for us to celebrate each of the many special children here at St. Mary’s,” said Jeffrey Frerichs, president and chief executive officer of St. Mary’s Healthcare System for Children. “But more importantly, it gives our kids a chance to forget about their complex medical conditions and just be kids, which is vital to their recovery.”
Clear Channel Media, Entertainment New York and The Lowell School in Bayside hosted the karaoke party, at St. Mary’s at 29-01 216th St., which was emceed by Z100 radio’s Danielle Monaro and 106.7 Lite FM’s Christine Nagy.
Clear Channel and Entertainment New York teamed up with St. Mary’s earlier this year to launch the We Believe in Music campaign, a project to build a vibrant music environment in the hospital for children. Clear Channel helped create a music-themed space in the Children’s Activity Center, part of the hospital’s new patient pavilion, with music memorabilia, recording studio, DJ booth, iPod download station, karaoke machine and much more.
The space creates a healing environment that will help St. Mary’s kids recover and thrive, the hospital said.
“We have had the great pleasure of working with St. Mary’s over this past year and our experience with these children has been incredible,” said Joe Puglise, president and market manger of Clear Channel Media and Entertainment New York. “Seeing the kids’ reaction to their new karaoke machine and listening to them sing along with their favorite hits was simply amazing.”
The Lowell School’s seventh-graders from teacher Christine Bargellini’s class, with additional help from its student government, spent this school year raising funds through the sale of original art-designed bookmarks, food and bake sales, to purchase a karaoke machine for St. Mary’s kids.
Reach reporter Phil Corso by e-mail at pcorso@cnglocal.com or by phone at 718-260-4573.
