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Disney "Give A Day. Get A Disney Day" Program Is A Big Hit In Mercer County

(Princeton) - A recent offer by the Walt Disney Company to trade a day of volunteering for a free day at one of its theme parks is turning out to be a big hit. VolunteerConnect, Mercer County’s volunteer center and an affiliate of the national HandsOn Network, reports that the program, “Give a Day.  Get a Disney Day.” has resulted in a surge of interest in volunteering.  Volunteers can go to www.disneyparks.com to search for qualified volunteer opportunities and sign up for a day of volunteer service. Over 20 million such searches have been conducted since January 1st.

“The Give A Day. Get A Disney Day.” program celebrates the good work of volunteers by giving each of them one-day admission to a theme park at Disneyland® Resort or Walt Disney World® Resort, free. Disney is partnering with HandsOn Network, a national association of volunteer centers and clearinghouse for volunteer opportunities, which connects people with projects and certifies their completion.

One opportunity promoted through VolunteerConnect guides families in creating their own food drives. The post-holiday season can be difficult for local food banks, as many people fail to continue their food donations during the post-holiday months of January and February. VolunteerConnect encourages volunteers to start a Family Food Drive and help the many in their community who go hungry.  These volunteers pick up bags at their local grocery store, bring them to their neighbors, friends or co-workers with a personal request for non-perishable foods, collect the bags and deliver them to the Mercer Street Friends Food Bank in Ewing.

“We’ve had a wonderful response to the Disney program thus far, particularly our Family Food Drive project,” said Adrienne Rubin, Executive Director of VolunteerConnect. “Not only does this Food Drive allow parents to instill a sense of service in their children by actively supporting organizations that meet community needs, but it also fills a significant void at our local food banks.  Through the help of the Disney initiative, volunteers have already begun and even completed Family Food Drives.  In fact, the first family to organize a family food drive through the program collected 28 bags of food, totaling 282 pounds!” 

"We are trying to inspire 1 million people to volunteer in their communities and we're inspiring them to do that by giving them a free day at a Disney park," Jay Rasulo, chairman of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, said in a phone interview with The Associated Press.

Certified volunteers receive a one-day ticket to any park at Disneyland in Anaheim, Calif., or Walt Disney World near Orlando, Fla., in 2010.  The ticket is non-transferable, but certified volunteers may donate tickets to Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Florida, Boys & Girls Clubs of Southern California and Dreams Take Flight Canada. 

“In addition to the Family Food Drive, volunteers can access the VolunteerConnect web site at www.VolunteerConnectNJ.org to search a free, database of hundreds of local volunteer opportunities,” added Executive Director Rubin.  

VolunteerConnect’s mission is to enrich the lives of Central New Jersey residents by promoting effective volunteerism and service.  Besides its work in bringing volunteers and opportunities together, VolunteerConnect provides training and professional development in volunteer management to nonprofit leaders to help them effectively recruit, utilize, retain, and recognize volunteers. 

For additional information, contact: Adrienne Rubin: adrienne@VolunteerConnectNJ.org.