American Idol's Ryan Seacrest Ironically Launches The Voice

The Ryan Seacrest Foundation launched The Voice at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia during a ribbon-cutting event on Friday held in the Hospital's Colket Atrium, the new home of this interactive closed-circuit broadcast multi-media center.

Selena Gomez made a special appearance at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, joining Ryan Seacrest as he hosted the first broadcast from THE VOICE, which also included interviews with NFL Kicker David Akers, cardiac patient Julia Parmisciano and Stephanie Fuller, M.D., a Cardiac Center surgeon at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.

"I'm excited to bring THE VOICE to The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia," said Seacrest, founder and chairman of the Ryan Seacrest Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for seriously ill and injured children through unique programs that utilize multimedia and interactive platforms to enlighten, entertain and educate.

"The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia is a leading pediatric clinical and research facility and a national leader in developing techniques to support the patient's emotional well-being," added Seacrest. "THE VOICE closed-circuit broadcast center is a new addition to their existing Child Life programs and provides a creative, interactive entertainment."

"Ryan Seacrest and The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia are two of our favorite things," said Steve Burke, chief executive officer of NBCUniversal and member of The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia Board of Trustees. "Comcast Foundation and NBCUniversal are proud and honored to support the launch of THE VOICE at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia with a leadership gift. THE VOICE is an extraordinary program designed to entertain patients during their hospital stay, and we feel privileged that our support helped make this dream a reality."

THE VOICE provides young patients within The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia community with an opportunity to engage in activities related to radio, TV and new media, ranging from broadcasting like a disc jockey and playing their favorite songs to watching live artists perform and interviewing celebrities.

"The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia is honored to be the recipient of the Ryan Seacrest Foundation's THE VOICE broadcast media center," said Steven M. Altschuler, M.D., chief executive officer of The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. "THE VOICE will offer a creative outlet for our patients to learn about the broadcast arts and how to operate an in-house studio. It gives them a little bit of control that is so often lost while in the hospital."

THE VOICE at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia is located in the Main Hospital's Colket Atrium. THE VOICE will also involve students from local journalism schools, colleges and universities, providing an opportunity to gain first-hand experience in broadcasting, programming and operating a multi-media center.