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Look Back: USS Wilkes-Barre launched in December 1943

Kylee McGrane&rsquo;s dream to make kids&rsquo; dreams come true at a time when they really need some magic continues even in this pandemic.
				McGrane, who grew up in South Wilkes-Barre, has put her passion for working with children into her organization &mdash; A Moment of Magic &mdash; designed to bring some fun and inspiration to youths facing serious challenges.
				The program takes college-age students to volunteer at children&rsquo;s hospitals and schools dressed as some of the world&rsquo;s most popular princesses and superheroes.
				Not only does it touch the lives of children, the New York-based foundation has engaged hundreds of students at more than 20 colleges and universities in service work.
				&ldquo;From meeting all these children, I have learned what it means to be truly strong,&rdquo; McGrane told me a year ago. &ldquo;I am amazed at their resilience, and I am overwhelmed by the support of the families.&rdquo;
				McGrane sent me a letter she wrote for this holiday season.
				&rdquo;It started with a simple idea: magic exists,&rdquo; she began.
				And that really says it all.
				While watching holiday shows with her mom in 2014, the idea came to McGrane.
				She asked herself, &ldquo;What if I dressed up like a princess and visited children in the hospital? It was a moment of realization where my interests, big dreams, and want to make the world a kinder place came together like a beautiful, sparkling epiphany. It was magic.&rdquo;
				McGrane went to work, contacting friends and classmates to ask if they wanted to join &ldquo;this thing&rdquo; &mdash; this idea that she had that wasn&rsquo;t completely formulated yet.&rdquo;
				So, with no name, no logo, no business plan, no grand idea for any source of funding, McGrane forged ahead.
				&ldquo;Just an incessant, down-to-the-bones need to make a difference for children battling serious illnesses,&rdquo; she said.
				And then McGrane wrote this in her letter:
				&ldquo;From the very first visit, that very first interaction, I knew that there was a need for children to experience creative play while they were hospitalized. They needed to talk about storybooks and favorite colors like they needed to talk about treatment and action plans. There was a need for kids to &lsquo;just-be-kids.&rdquo;
				Since that day, McGrane said A Moment of Magic has committed to fulfilling that mission of more than 75,000 children across the world.
				&ldquo;Being able to do the work we do is a dream come true,&rdquo; she said.
				McGrane said over the last six years, there have been many hurdles and obstacles, but none have been as difficult and trying as 2020 &mdash; a year when that dream has been tested. She said she never imagined that there would be a period of nine months when A Moment of Magic wouldn&rsquo;t be able to visit a children&rsquo;s hospital.
				&ldquo;It has been nine months without in-person tea parties, without characters brightening up the halls of a hospital, and without giving a warm, tight hug,&rdquo; McGrane said.
				But she persisted.
				&#8226; Since that last in-person visit in March, A Moment of Magic has ramped up its programming. Hospitalized and immuno-compromised children are in need of love, support, friendship, and magic now more than ever, she said.
				&#8226; The organization has partnered with more than 250 children&rsquo;s hospitals and non-profit organizations to provide completely virtual programming to children around the world free of cost.
				&#8226; She has produced more than 2,000 virtual programs for children, parents, and health care workers to utilize at any time.
				&#8226; Virtual programming has been streamed more than 35,000 times in 44 states and six countries.
				&#8226; On average, they are reaching more than 930 children every single week &mdash; that&rsquo;s more than 132 children every single day.
				&ldquo;To put it simply, we don&rsquo;t know when we will be able to visit hospitalized children in-person again,&rdquo; McGrane said. &ldquo;Yet, in 2020 we have reached more children and provided more programming than ever before.&rdquo;
				As McGrane signed the letter to her supporters, &ldquo;brave. strong, fearless,&rdquo; here&rsquo;s hoping the magic she and her organization creates for these children continues forever.

Beynd the Byline: A Moment of Magic continues to bring smiles to sick kids’ faces