A Moment of Magic

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: playis not a distraction from the work. It is the work.

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.