Radio City Music Hall welcomed residents and staff from ArchCare‘s Mother Cabrini Specialty Hospital for a unique field trip on November 19. The world-famous performance venue provided accessible seats for the Christmas Spectacular, featuring The Rockettes, who are celebrating their 100th anniversary this year.

The Order of Malta‘s generosity enabled 34 attendees to come from ArchCare and other volunteering opportunities.

Soon-to-be Knight of the Order of Malta, James Palazza, and the New York area co-chair for the Order, Steve Bujno, organized the outing. Steve shared his thoughts about watching the residents enjoy the show: “It was very emotional. Most of the residents are nonverbal, but they do communicate, and by working with them over time, you can learn their distinct personalities. The residents all had a great time enjoying the sights and sounds of the Christmas Spectacular. It was beautiful to see the awe and joy on one young girl’s face as Santa passed by right next to her and the beaming smile on another resident when she was given her toy soldier teddy bear. A big part of our work is to try to provide the residents with activities and experiences that all children and young adults would like to experience — the Christmas Spectacular certainly fits that bill.”

Former Rockette Kandice Halpin volunteered as a special guest during the matinee show. “I was a Rockette 20 years ago, and so they’re celebrating the 100th anniversary, and I think one of my favorite parts of being a Rockette was doing work like this. Seeing these patients come today and experience this was amazing and heartwarming,” she said.

ArchCare’s CEO, Scott LaRue, also volunteered during the show. He helped coordinate and get all of the residents as comfortable as possible at their location in the theater. “We believe in caring for the spirit as much as the body. These outings break the isolation of the hospital and let our residents just be kids enjoying a beloved tradition. It proves that joy is an essential part of healing and that they belong to this community just like everyone else,” he told The Good Newsroom after the show.

ArchCare continuously pushes what it means to care for the patients in its system through mind, body, and spirit. Learn more about their continued mission on their website.