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Our Story
How One Moment Became a Movement
A Moment of Magic's story didn’t start in an office, a boardroom, or a nonprofit incubator. It began in a New York City dorm room, sparked by love, loss, and a deep belief that children deserve more than survival -- they deserve joy, dignity, and healing in every sense of the word.
Watch the TEDx Talk about our organization!
Welcome
Rooted in compassion and powered by imagination, we were founded by a college student, Kylee McGrane-Zarnoch, in 2014 with a simple mission: to bring lightness to heavy places, and to remind children that even in the midst of serious illness, they are still kids first.
What started in a dorm room has since become a national movement, led by young people and sustained by generosity. Kylee didn’t set out to start a national nonprofit. She set out to bring a little light into the dark — dressing up as a princess and visiting local hospitals, simply to offer joy and presence to children who needed it.
But from that simple idea grew a powerful truth: play is not a distraction from the work. It is the work.
About
From 2011 to 2014, A Moment of Magic Founder Kylee McGrane-Zarnoch was navigating a deeply personal experience: both of her grandparents were in long-term hospital care. She saw up close how isolating, disorienting, and dehumanizing hospitalization can be, not just for the patient, but for the entire family. Behind every diagnosis was a person, often experiencing not just physical challenges, but mental health challenges that came along with it like anxiety, and loneliness, and isolation.
But she saw something else: that while medicine can treat the body, it’s often the small, human moments, a shared laugh, a heartfelt conversation, a moment of connection, that help restore the spirit. These were more than distractions — they were lifelines.
Determined to create that kind of magic for others, Kylee began visiting local hospitals dressed as a princess alongside her college roommate, Maggie McAndrew, not to entertain, but to connect. Armed with their costumes and a punch buggy stuffed with donations, the first hospital visit confirmed the purpose of our mission: to bring light to heavy places and to ensure children and families have experiences that ensure healing includes all kinds of care.
Word spread. And in that dorm room, an idea turned into a grassroots movement that quickly became a community of college students at their university. Together, they created something rare: something rooted in empathy, imagination, and emotional connection.
Then, the movement went viral—literally.
A video of AMoM’s visits reached over 65 million people.
And just like that, everything changed. College students from around the country reached out, asking: How can we do this too? So we built it: a replicable model, a national team, and growth grounded not in popularity but in purpose.
Through late nights and early mornings, we built an organization grounded in what we saw wasn't always happening in healthcare: joy as a right, not a reward. Mental health care as essential, not extra.
Empathy not as an afterthought, but a foundation.
Today, A Moment of Magic has grown beyond anything imagined in that dorm room, but our heart, soul, and grassroots energy remain the same.
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,
+
+
149990
children impacted
since 2014
1990
college students engaged
15
chapters
nationwide
340
hospitals and nonprofit partners
This is our story
and it's just getting started.
A Moment of Magic is still powered by students and grassroots donors. Still built in libraries, over Zoom calls, and in the in-between moments of busy lives.
Despite that, A Moment of Magic is a national leader in trauma-informed, joy-centered programming for medically vulnerable children.
We're driven by heart, hustle, and hope — by people who believe that joy is essential, and that care and compassion is a critical part of the clinical plan.
We’ve reimagined what healing can look like -- blending the power of play, mental health education, and community care to support children and families when they need it most.
What began in a dorm room is now a growing movement built on evidence, empathy, and imagination. And while we’ve come a long way, the heart of our work remains the same: meeting children where they are, and reminding them of their strength, their magic, and their worth.
This is more than a mission. It’s a vision for a more human, hopeful approach to care.
We’re just getting started —
and we’re so glad you’re here.