Kids at Mott see the Big House through VR

Sick kids will get to visit The Big House without leaving their rooms at C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital, thanks to the foundation named after University of Michigan football coach Jim Harbaugh.

Hanging out with dinosaurs, riding roller coasters or even visiting the moon are just some of the types of virtual-reality experiences made possible by the new Harbaugh Fund, created by a $50,000 seed donation from the Harbaugh Foundation and announced on Michigan’s Giving Blue Day. First project on the list: Virtual-reality viewers for every young patient.

The viewers work by sliding in a smartphone and turning on virtual-reality apps through the phone. “The Jim Harbaugh Foundation is thrilled to support the Child and Family Life team at Mott Children’s,” says Sarah Harbaugh, who along with her husband, Jim, is a co-chair of the Victors for Michigan National Campaign Leadership Council for Mott and Von Voigtlander Hospital. “We are so inspired by the stories of Little Victors fighting such courageous battles every day. Programs run by the Child Life staff are critical to bringing a sense of normalcy for children and their families.” The new fund will cover the cost of cardboard viewers for every child and teen admitted at Mott. Patients can choose from a long list of virtual-reality apps available through smartphones.

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