OFM Feature - Seacrest - FINAL_Pages 2 / 20 / 20 1 : 52 PM Page 3 T H E R Y A N S E A C R E S T F O U N D A T I O N : H E L P I N G T O H E A L stay , he made lifelong friends . That includes the To help see his vision through , Seacrest leaned It was then the light bulb went off . Seeing the no - dozens of celebrities he encountered at Seacrest on some of the people who know him best — his ticeable impact his visits had on the kids , he Studios , interviewing them and creating memo - family . Alongside his father , Gary ; and his mother , wanted those moments to last forever . To be able rable moments for all parties involved . The studio Connie ; Seacrest’s sister , Meredith Seacrest Leach , to give not only sick children , but their families , a was a welcomed distraction from the harsh realities serves as the executive director and COO . temporary moment of solace was fulfilling , and he had to endure at such a young age and after 372 “ We started this as a family , ” Seacrest Leach Seacrest wanted to capture that energy and mani - days , 6 - year - old Dylan finally received his new says . “ We didn’t know what would come of it , but fest it into something bigger . heart and got the chance to return home the way it’s grown … it has been amazing to watch So , more than a decade ago the Ryan Seacrest “ [ Dylan ] went to the studio all the time . He the impact it’s had on families . … If you are going Foundation was formed with an aim to inspire got to meet Shawn Mendes , Lil Nas X , Niall Ho - to work with a sibling , giving back is the best way youth through entertainment and education - fo - ran , WWE wrestlers ; he interviewed them , he to work together . ” cused initiatives . But simply lending his name to danced with them . All of this helped provide a pos - And while Seacrest’s in - demand schedule the cause and helping raise money was not enough ; itive distraction during his long stay . To be able to makes it difficult to be everywhere at once , he re - Seacrest wanted to create something more tangible bring some excitement to his time in the hospital mains firmly attached to the cause . He visits the for the kids to enjoy , something they could use to hospitals whenever the oppor - express creativity in an environment that would tunity presents itself and he help take their mind off their trials and tribula - ensures that each studio is re - tions . Tapping into his passion for radio , he sought ceiving the necessary support to recreate the experience of the live remotes that to be able to make a differ - first connected him with children . In November ence now and well into the 2010 , the first Seacrest Studio was opened in his future . native home of Georgia at Children’s Healthcare of “ It was really important Atlanta . to Ryan and our family that The multimedia broadcast center allowed pa - we didn’t just build a studio , tients to explore the world of radio , television and hand over the keys and that more and generated various programming for pa - was it , ” says Seacrest Leach . tients whether they were physically in the studio or “ Ryan visits the studios when - watching through closed - circuit television in their ever he can and helps to ar - room where they are able to call in and make range for toys , costumes and broadcast requests . fun prizes for games to be de - The response was more than he could have livered to all hospitals . The asked for and less than a year later , the second foundation is also fully in - Seacrest Studio opened at Children’s Hospital of volved with all technology Philadelphia . To date , there are 10 studios across Top : Taylor Swift needs and assistance . He the country with an 11th planned for Orlando with a patient at wanted to make sure we were Health Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children this Children’s hands - on with our support . ” year — an announcement he was pleased to share in Hospital of In addition to Seacrest be - front of an audience of millions during an episode Philadelphia . ing the face of the project , his of LIVE with Kelly and Ryan . Right : Seacrest celebrity pals have also lent The nearly 1,200 - square - foot studio is slated with Camilla their time to help brighten the to open this summer and will be located adjacent Cabello and a lives of these pediatric pa - to the hospital’s main atrium and will be encased patient tients . Selena Gomez , Nick in glass allowing both patients and visitors the Jonas and many more have chance to catch a glimpse of the excitement taking served as ambassadors of the place inside . means so much to us , ” Seacrest Leach says . foundation and helped further its mission while “ We are thrilled to become the next site for a Elsewhere , another patient was struggling with making lasting bonds with patients . At any given Seacrest Studio , ” says Cary D’Ortona , president of the day - to - day situation he found himself in . moment , you may find the children interviewing Orlando Health Arnold Palmer , in a released state - Down and out , he routinely refused to do his hip - hop star Ludacris , hearing country singer Jor - ment . “ Every day we care for kids , not only from physical therapy , until one day a visit to Seacrest dan Davis strum his latest tune or watching in awe our community , but from all over the world . Studios gave him a much - needed spark . That’s as the Harlem Globetrotters deliver their signature Whether their stay is just a few days or several where he began to play games and smile for the high jinks . months , we’re excited to partner with the Ryan first time in quite a while . For once , he wasn’t a pa - “ There are so many moving stories , especially Seacrest Foundation to give these patients a unique tient , he was just a child enjoying the simple plea - with patients who are in the hospital for a long way to heal and learn . ” sures of life . Before long , he was standing up out of time , ” Seacrest Leach says . “ It’s a place for them to “ I have always believed in the healing power of his wheelchair and surrounded by nurses with tears go and have fun and the studio team becomes like entertainment , but when we opened our first stu - in their eyes . a family to them . ” dio nearly 10 years ago , I had no idea the extent of Countless other stories like this exist , each One patient who fully embraced the studio the benefits that these creative outlets could bring with their own unique background but that share and all that it brings was a young boy in Atlanta to patients and their families , ” says Seacrest . “ As we a similar direct effect that the studios have had . named Dylan . Despite being hospitalized at Chil - work toward opening our 11th Seacrest Studio , we There have even been a few patients who fre - dren’s Healthcare of Atlanta in need of a new could not be more excited to bring these opportu - quented the studios during their treatment and heart , he showed tremendous spirit and quickly en - nities to the families of Orlando Health Arnold now that they are outpatient , they have returned deared himself to everyone he met . Not only did Palmer and look forward to continuing to provide to pay it forward , serving as interns and helping he manage to graduate kindergarten during his a positive distraction for patients . ” 1 4 | O R L A N D O F A M I L Y | M A R C H 2 0 2 0 | O R L A N D O F A M I L Y M A G A Z I N E . C O M