Starlight Global Ambassadors and Fairy Godmother
Starlight Global Ambassadors and our Fairy Godmother are dedicated advocates who use their star power to help make a world of difference in the lives of seriously ill children and their families.
Fairy Godmother Jamie Lee Curtis
As an actress and children’s author, Jamie has dedicated most of her life to making people smile. But that’s not such an easy thing to do for a child who is facing serious illness or injury, as she knows firsthand.
"When my son, Tom, was five, he fell off a teeter-totter and ruptured his spleen. I hate to even remember those first few hours. Seeing a little child in such pain, much less my own son, was horrifying. Never in my life had I felt so helpless. Nothing I could say or do seemed to ease his anxiety or pain. As you can imagine, I did my best at the hospital to remain calm and show my son confidence that he would be okay. But inside, my heart was breaking as I watched him endure blood draws and saw the fear sweep over his face as the IV line was inserted. Then the nurses rolled in the Starlight Fun Center. I will never forget that moment as long as I live.
"It was about midnight, far too late for a five-year-old to be up, much less waiting for surgery to save his life. As my son began to engage in the interactive, fast-paced video games on the Starlight Fun Center, he was completely transformed. His anxiety and pain gave way to happiness, playfulness and distraction.
"From then on, the whole hospital experience changed for both of us, and I came away with a conviction that night: we need Starlight in EVERY community! Their programs do so much for suffering children like my son. What my son and I went through that night is just a taste of what families of children with cancer, heart disease, cystic fibrosis and other life-threatening conditions go through for weeks, months and even years on end. "
Global Ambassador Tony DiTerlizzi
Dragons, space monsters, goblins and insects: the characters that inhabit storyteller Tony DiTerlizzi’s world haven’t changed since he was a kid growing up in South Florida. This year Tony celebrates ten years of creating children’s books by returning to aliens and spaceships with his futuristic fairy tale, The Search for WondLa. He is also celebrating a 10-year relationship with Starlight. It was ten years ago, when he first got involved with the organization and contributed beautiful illustrations for Starlight’s book, Once Upon a Fairy Tale, a unique collection of classic fairy tales with 100% of the proceeds benefiting Starlight.
Born in Los Angeles in 1969, DiTerlizzi is the oldest of three siblings raised in an artistically rich household. He started drawing at a very young age. One of his first hand-made books was on his favorite subject: dinosaurs, and was done for a Boy Scout merit badge. Fascinated by nature’s endless designs, Tony made another book, this time on insects, carefully drawn from his own collection.
After receiving his degree in graphic design in 1992, Tony did illustrations for the popular role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons and contributed to the collectible card game Magic the Gathering.
In 2000, his first picture book, Jimmy Zangwow’s Out-of-this-World Moon Pie Adventure debuted and was followed up the year after with the award-winning Ted. His third picture book, The Spider and The Fly, became a New York Times bestseller and won a Caldecott Honor, an award for high artistic achievement in children’s publishing, in 2003.
Soon after, DiTerlizzi met an up-and-coming writer and fellow fantasy lover named Holly Black. Fast friends, the two began to collaborate and created the chapter book series The Spiderwick Chronicles. The series was loved by children and adults alike, and was published in more than 30 countries, selling more than 7 million copies in the US alone. Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon Movies released a live action adaptation of The Spiderwick Chronicles in 2008.
Next up was G is For One Gzonk! and a continuation of the Spiderwick saga with Beyond the Spiderwick Chronicles with Holly Black. In 2008, Kenny and The Dragon, which tells the story of a young, bookish rabbit who becomes friends with a happy-go-lucky drake, was another New York Times bestseller. He followed Kenny by teaming up with his wife, Angela, on a silly series of young picture books, Adventure of Meno.
Tony continues to support Starlight as a Global Ambassador.
Global Ambassador Dave Koz
Dave Koz, the world-renowned saxophone player, initially picked up the saxophone as a means of gaining entry into his big brother's band. For the young boy who grew up in L.A.'s San Fernando Valley, what began as a ploy became a lifelong obsession. In a career spanning nearly two decades, Dave has established himself as a platinum-selling solo recording artist, humanitarian, music-business entrepreneur, radio host and instrumental music advocate. The recipient of four Grammy nominations, the list of artists Dave has played with bears testament to his talent - Burt Bacharach, Ray Charles, Natalie Cole, Celine Dion, U2, Michael McDonald, Anita Baker, Luther Vandross, Barry Manilow, Johnny Mathis and Rod Stewart among others.
Dave is host of the weekend syndicated radio show, The Dave Koz Radio Show, that features artist interviews and music. The show currently runs in approximately 120 markets and is in its 10th year on the air. He has also recently become the host of Smooth Jazz Network's afternoon show which is distributed nationally, along with hosting Smooth Air in Japan. In addition, Dave is a co-founder of independent record company Rendezvous Entertainment. Dave just released his 8th studio album At The Movies where he pays homage to classic film music.
In his role as a world-renowned saxophone player and syndicated radio host, Dave has rallied his fans to support Starlight's programs, including helping to deliver cuddly bears to hospitalized children during the holiday season every year. While on tour, he has often visited hospitalized children and shared his music to lift their spirits. In addition, he and his family were also among the very first PC Pal sponsors - placing three units at Shriners Hospital Los Angeles in his mother's memory.
In appreciation of Dave Koz's 20 years of dedication to improving the quality of life of seriously ill children and their families, Starlight presented him with The Jacki Carlish Humanitarian Award at the 2007 A Stellar Night gala.