Springbok Cares: Harnessing Immersive Technology for Healing

After producing a fundraising campaign for the University of Southern California’s Adolescent and Young Adult (AYA) Cancer Program and working closely with young cancer patients, I recognized the transformative potential of immersive technologies in healthcare. Motivated by this insight, I co-founded Springbok Cares, a 501(c)(3) non-profit dedicated to bringing immersive technologies into hospitals to support patients with engaging and therapeutic experiences.

The mission of Springbok Cares was twofold: to offer patients a form of healthy escapism during challenging treatments and to collaborate with researchers and doctors to study and quantify the positive impacts these technologies could have on medical outcomes.

Through corporate sponsorships that I personally brokered, including partnerships with Google, Panasonic, and MSI, the organization was able to launch impactful programs. These began at USC, serving both inpatient and outpatient populations, and expanded to include Children’s Hospital Los Angeles and the University of Nebraska. The programs benefited a wide range of patients, from young adults to geriatric populations, providing immersive content designed to entertain, inspire, and alleviate stress.

Springbok Cares achieved numerous milestones during its operation, bridging technology and healthcare to enhance the patient experience. While the complexities of the COVID-19 pandemic ultimately brought the programs to a conclusion, the positive impact and goodwill generated by the organization continue to resonate.