SELENA GOMEZ headed home to Texas on Wednesday (14Nov12) to help U.S. TV host RYAN SEACREST open a new media center at a children's hospital.

The American Idol presenter helped fund the multimedia broadcast center at the Children's Medical Center Dallas, and he enlisted local girl Gomez to help unveil the venture.

Gomez, who is an ambassador for the Ryan Seacrest Foundation, attended a ribbon-cutting ceremony to officially open the wing, and told reporters, "To be able to have this so that the kids can come down here, and have fun, and be distracted, and actually do something for my hometown feels really, really good."

In a statement, she added, "I'm particularly thrilled to help Ryan open a broadcast center in my hometown of Dallas at Children's Medical Center, as giving back to the kids here is so important to me."

Gomez hails from Grand Prairie, Texas.