GenerationCures.org makes finding cures Fun and Games

October 21, 2008 – BOSTON, MA --With more and more kids spending time at the computer and online these days, wouldn’t it be great if all those hours were used for something good? Now they can be.

Children’s Hospital Boston has launched Generation Cures, a first-of-its-kind website for kids ages 8-12 and their parents that teaches kids the importance of giving back. This site engages children on their own terms—sparking their curiosity and compassion through original online games, animated stories and patient-directed videos.

The site’s animated Zebrafish series—named after the small, yet powerful, transparent fish perfect for studying disease—tells the story of friends who form a rock band. When a band member falls ill, the kids begin to see how they can use their music to help their sick friend.

Caduceus, the site’s adventure game, takes those characters’ alter egos and places them in a fantasy world, inviting kids at home to help find cures for a deadly virus. Players have the opportunity to contemplate the issues that face modern day scientists—from tracking down the source of a disease, to isolating its causes, to mixing and matching ingredients to find a cure.

Another Generation Cures favorite is the behind-the-scenes videos that put patients in the reporter’s seat, interviewing Children’s world leaders in medicine and science. Just one example: 16-year-old Nichole interviewed neurosurgeon Liliana Goumnerova, MD, who removed a softball-sized tumor from Nichole’s brain. It’s just one way the project empowers kids—giving patients the chance to relate to their doctors in a unique way, while offering kids around the world a small glimpse of another’s journey—one often quite different from their own.

The whole Generation Cures digital playground is created by award-winning educators and designers with children in mind—without leaving mom or dad behind. As kids watch and play, they may be curious about the medical content of our stories, or have questions about other diseases or sick kids they know. The site encourages parents to take an active role—discussing the real-life experiences of children in our behind-the-scenes videos or playing along in Caduceus to help their children solve more difficult puzzles. Generation Cures is a family event.

Although everything on Generation Cures is free to members, the online experience is designed to inspire family fundraising in support of Children’s research. Funds can be raised through individual gifts in place of membership fees, or kids can find sponsors that will reward their progress in the online games with a donation to Children’s. Corporations can also get involved through sponsorship opportunities. And this holiday season, Generation Cures will kick off Project Good Gift, a giving program that encourages children and their parents to give up holiday gifts and make donations to Generation Cures in their place.

Take a closer look or become a member by visiting www.generationcures.org/. And if you’re at Children’s, you’ll soon find an interactive Generation Cures kiosk in our lobby.