Disney Parks around the world celebrated Family Volunteer Day on Nov. 23 with fun events to shine the spotlight on volunteering and helping others.
At Walt Disney World Resort, a huge celebration at Disney Springs featured Mickey Mouse and friends, hundreds of Disney VoluntEARs and special guests of honor, the Aguirre family, who were named the Disney and Points of Light Volunteer Family of the Year earlier this month.
Also on hand to celebrate Family Volunteer Day, Chairman of Disney Parks, Experiences and Products, Bob Chapek spoke about the power of volunteerism and the ability for one person, or one family, to make a difference in their community and help change the world.
“That’s why each year, our cast members dedicate hundreds of thousands of volunteer hours and why today, at Disney sites around the world, cast and guests are participating in volunteer activities as part of Family Volunteer Day,” Chapek said.
Be sure to tune into Good Morning America this Friday, Nov. 29 to see how the Aguirres and the four runner-up families celebrated Family Volunteer Day and their fun-filled time at Walt Disney World.
At Disneyland Resort in Southern California, guests at Disney California Adventure park participated in projects to help local education groups while Disney VoluntEARS from Walt Disney Imagineering lent a hand at the OC Food Bank in Orange County, CA.
Around the globe, Disney cast members and families joined Disney VoluntEARS projects in Tokyo, Disneyland Paris, and Aulani, A Resort and Spa in Ko Olina, Hawai’i.
In 2018, Disney Parks, Experiences and Products along with Points of Light launched the Disney Family Volunteering Reward Program awarding Disney Parks tickets to eligible schools and nonprofits for hosting family-friendly volunteer events. Since then, more than 700,000 families have volunteered and more than 8,500 nonprofits and schools have participated in the program. All this hard work amounted to more than three million hours of family volunteer service across the U.S.
To learn more about how you and your family can get involved in family volunteering, visit Points of Light to find a project you can join or tips on how you can create one yourself. Eligible nonprofits and schools in the U.S. can join the Disney Family Volunteering Reward Program and earn Disney Parks tickets by hosting family volunteer events.