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Shriners Hospital for Children hosts New Year’s Eve celebration

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SALT LAKE CITY - One hundred children and all their family members celebrated New Year’s Eve a little early this year at Shriners Hospital for Children in Salt Lake City.

The hospital had a magic show for the children that amazed them all, and it included a levitating chair.

The volunteers and donors made it all happen. The party also included winter-inspired gifts, like a stuffed polar bear for the “Teddy Bear Clinic” to show children that getting a physical exam is not so scary. There were also New Year’s hats and treats, and a surprise appearance from Disney’s Frozen Princesses!

“I'm here to play all the games and spend time with my friends,” said one of Shriners' young patients, Daisy Openshaw.

Ten-year-old Chase Parkin has a prosthetic leg, and he did not let that hold him back during the party! He had a lot of fun decorating cookies and playing all the games.

“It’s really fun because I get to play with these bow and arrows and stuff, and I get to face paint and play with toys and stuff,” Chase said.

Deserae Dorin, a Public Relations specialist with Shriners, said the hospital tries to make all of their quarterly parties special for all the children, so no one is left out.

“When a kid we treat has a condition, we want to make sure the whole family is a part of their treatment and the fun,” Dorin said. “It doesn't really feel like a hospital, and so these type of events contribute to that. Playing and having fun is actually therapeutic, and so if we can create more opportunities like that for our kids, the more the merrier.”

The big donors for this event, Dorin said, were Big O’ Tires, and Cisco.

If you want to volunteer or donate to this special cause, click here.