Univest names Caring for Community winner
Temple University’s Moment of Magic Foundation receives ninth annual award
SOUDERTON » The Temple University chapter of A Moment of Magic Foundation has received Univest Financial’s ninth annual Caring for Community Giveaway. The contest awards $5,000 to a local nonprofit organization — chosen from among the organizations nominated by the by the community.
Univest announced the winner Jan. 7 on Facebook.
“It’s really so inspiring to see the great work being done in our communities by all of these organizations,” Nicole Heverly, Univest vice president and director of corporate communications said during the virtual meeting. “Community is one of our core values at Univest, and we strive to live that out all year long, and even during the pandemic we have remained steadfast to our commitment of supporting local communities.”
A Moment of Magic is a nationwide organization whose mission is to “restore the magic of believing at a time when a child needs to “just be a kid” and reminding them to be brave, strong and fearless,” according to a press release. A Moment of Magic Foundation consists of college-age student volunteers who visit children’s hospitals dressed as characters to help lift children’s spirits and provide fun and distraction during difficult times.
The Temple University chapter has created “moments of magic” for more than 8,000 children, and currently has 40 volunteers.
Mary Naughton, chapter president of the Temple University chapter of A Moment of Magic said the group works with the hospitals in the Philadelphia-area and beyond – with Shriners Hospitals for Children, CHOP, St. Peter’s University Hospital in New Brunswick, N.J., as well as nonprofits like Alex’s Lemonade Stand and Ronald McDonald Charities.
“It’s just overall a lot of magic all around the city,” she said, adding that during the coronavirus pandemic, the chapter has expanded its virtual programming, “to try to continue to provide a little bit of magic even the world is a little crazy.”
A Moment of Magic started six years ago in a dorm room in New York City, according to Executive Director Kylee McGrane, who said the it has grown to 23 chapters and more than 1,000 volunteers around the country
The work, she said, is important.
“So often when children go into the hospital it’s a scary place for anyone — adults and kids. We want to try to be there to help bring a little bit of friendship and magic in a time that is dark and scary,” she said.
Participating in the virtual check presentation meeting was the character of Rapunzel — a volunteer for the Temple University Chapter.
“I truly am in love with every child I meet,” she said. “We play games, we sing, we dance, we color. We tell stories and they tell me stories that truly make my day so much better.”
Between Dec. 1 and Dec. 31, community members nominated local, nonprofit organizations on Univest’s Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn social media channels. They could also make a nomination by tweeting the name of a nonprofit @UnivestCorp using #CaringForCommunity.
A Moment of Magic was randomly selected from all the entries Jan. 4. More than 3,000 nominations were received for 125 organizations this year.
“There are so many organization, so many great causes. This is one of our favorite programs we get to do each year. You tell us what organizations you want us to support,” Heverly added.
Previous winners of the Caring for Community Giveaway include: Kisses for Kyle Foundation, Quakertown Community Outreach, Logan’s Heroes Animal Rescue, Hope Against Heroin, St. Isidore School, The Grannie Project, Vets for Vets and the Bucks County SPCA.