Sharing "Magic," One Community at a Time

Walt Disney once said, " The greatest moments in life are not concerned with selfish achievements, but rather with things we do for other people." In 2010, Walt Disney Parks and Resorts(WDPR) is sharing this message on a whole new level with a first-of-its-kind program. Ever since they first asked, "What will you celebrate," Guests have turned their special occasions into memorable experiences at the places where dreams come true. And next year, the Disney parks are going a step further, encouraging people to celebrate the spirit of service in their own communities with an exciting proposition; "Give a Day, Get a Disney Day."
"In 2010, we want to recoginze and add one more cause for celebration- the contributions people make to their communities every day," Jay Rasulo, chairman, WDPR, says. "We want to inspire one million volunteers- people who will invest time and energy to make their own communities and neighborhoods a better place."
Beginning January 1, guests can log on to Disneyparks.com to learn about participating organizations that can use their much-needed help. As an extra-magical way to say "Thank You" to those who give back to their local communities, WDPR will offer one million participants a free one-day admission ticket to a Disneyland Resort or Walt Disney World Resort theme park. Employees and Cast Members are also invited to participate in this new program.
"The Parks group came up with this incredible concept for how they could take the 'What will you celebrate' campaign to a whole new level by shifting the focus to volunteerism," says Jennifer Anopolsky, senior vice president, Corporate Responsibility, whose team worked closely with WDPR on the new program. "We were just over the moon. It will really bring a lot of excitement and maybe some new Cast Members to the Disney VoluntEARS program." A program which, since its inception in 1983, has inspired members to contribute more than 5.5 million hours of service in more than 40 countries worldwide!
The new concept also supports one of Disney Corporate Responsibility's key priorities- helping show our Company's values through our day-to-day business. "Corporate Responsibility is about the good things we do in our businesses every day, like making healthy Disney-branded foods available through our licensing business and in this case promoting community service through a unique campaign from WDPR," Jennifer explains. "This campaign is really terrific because it offers something special for everyone, both guests and Cast Members who give a day of service."
But there's still much to be done before January. WDPR is partnering with Southwest Airlines to spread the volunteer message on a 20-city U.S. marketing tour, while Community Realations teams are working hard to offer a broad range of opportunities that will help guests and Cast Members make an impact on their communities.
As we look forward to inviting the million guests who will proudly enter Disney theme parks having contributed their part, we can't help but appreciate the Company's own spirit of giving back. "It's not just about what we do, it's who we are," Jennifer adds. So spread the spirit of service, and we'll see you next year.



DR LEE