Cardinal Solutions is excited to share they will bring a one-of-a-kind Holiday experience to the Children’s Medical Center at Tampa General Hospital. On December 8, Cardinal will host a virtual reality experience at the hospital where young patients and their families will experience a life-like adventure to the North Pole and join Santa on a magical sleigh ride.
Matt Fedorovich, an Application Developer in Cardinal’s Tampa office, came up with the idea. “I was looking for opportunities to use our technology capabilities to give back to the community,” said Matt. “Through conversations with co-workers we thought it would be neat if we could connect with hospitals and bring something fun to kids who are admitted for long periods of time.”
An expert in the VR/AR space, Matt identified a unique way to bring the holidays to kids who most likely won’t be able to leave the hospital this time of year. He sought out the design skills of Yinnette Olivo, a User Experience Designer, to create the characters and game for Holiday Madness. From there, Matt developed the game application for the Oculus Rift, a virtual reality headset. With headsets on, kids will meet a time travelling robot who takes them on a wild ride to the North Pole as Santa’s present cannons go out of control. Kids will have their chance to fend off flying presents through four increasingly difficult levels and collect power-ups along the way.
In addition to the Oculus Rift holiday game, Cardinal employees will bring mobile devices and VR headsets so kids can watch The Night Before, Samsung’s 360 video experience where viewers will ride with Santa in his magic sleigh on the biggest night of his year!
“While Cardinal is known for developing quality technology solutions for businesses, we are also passionate about serving the communities where we are located,” said Jenny Jackson, Marketing Coordinator. “We are thrilled that TGH was open to this idea. To have the opportunity for our designers and developers to use their skills in ways that bring joy to others is what inspires our people to keep developing better ideas.”
Cardinal has worked closely with TGH staff to ensure that all safety and health protocols have been identified. While the event will take place in the TGH Childlife playroom, Cardinal and hospital staff will also go room to room to bring the VR experience to kids who are unable to leave their room.
For media inquiries, please contact Jenny Jackson, Marketing Coordinator at Cardinal Solutions, or Ellen Fiss, Public Relations at Tampa General Hospital.