
Safari West LIVE
What is Safari West LIVE and how does it work?
Watch the video below to find out!
Program Details
An interactive live-stream experience, scheduled in pediatric hospitals, Safari West LIVE engages the imagination and inspires the curiosity of young explorers as they virtually ride along with a naturalist through the rolling hills of Safari West, sighting giraffes, cheetahs, wildebeest, zebras, and many more wondrous African animals.
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Mission
Inspiring Wildlife Stewards for Life and supporting children in their road to wellness recovery by offering a reprieve from the patient's long-term hospital stay. Program supports positive mental health while providing hope for wellness while reducing fear, anxiety, and pain. Young explorers are delighted by the careful planning of special events such as celebrating birthdays and milestones as they interact with the hosts and guides while on safari and enjoy learning about the wild things who live at Safari West and conservation efforts.



Impacts
Programs 118 153
in 2022 in 2023
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Hospital Beds 55,895 64,063
in 2022 in 2023
Testimonials from our Child Life Services Partners
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"The individualized and interactive Safari West LIVE experience made an incredible impact on a long-term, animal-loving patient. The staff at Safari West LIVE were mindful and intentional about everything; from identifying this child's favorite animals and learning about their unique communication skills in advance, to ensuring that video calling logistics were made easy. They even sent a personalized care package which really brought "the Zoo" to the hospital and helped set the base for a tele-friendship to begin! This child felt so special and was ecstatic to interact with the Safari West LIVE staff and learn about animals in real time during this hour dedicated just to them. As a child life specialist, I was blown away by the child-led approach that the Safari West LIVE team took. They were so patient, engaging, and found ways to make this child truly feel like a budding zookeeper. They picked up right away on the fact that this child was referring to this special event as "Zoo Day" and ran with it. When clarifications or pauses needed to be made, they did so in a way that felt natural and fun. You would have never guessed that the lead guides Eric and Chris had not previously met this child before.
I cannot thank Safari West LIVE enough for making this video call feel magical."
Ashley - Boston Children's Hospital
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​“(Safari West LIVE is) exponentially helpful to patient's mental health, overall well-being, and in their overall recovery.”
Abbie Kreider - Seacrest Dallas Children’s Hospital
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“Our kids are looking for authenticity. They have a lot of screen time and a lot of recorded content... so they're looking to connect, and Safari West (LIVE) does that and keep it entertaining at the same time. So, the production is really outstanding.”
Elyse Cann – Benioff Children’s Hospital, Oakland
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"The guides have done a wonderful job of interacting with our hospital and our patients. They just don't hesitate to spend as much time as they need to, or we want to, on any of the questions, no matter how off the wall they may be.
They're great at adjusting to the content, and age, that we are presenting to."
Josh Castaneda - Seacrest Studios