Disneyland® Resort Donates Nearly $370,000 to Local Charities

The Crafty Critters contributed their $2,500 donation to MOMS Orange County, an organization that provides services to support healthy pregnancies, healthy babies, and healthy families.
From serving meals to the homeless to coaching Little League, Disney Cast Members dedicated 81,900 volunteer hours in the community during 2008. Disneyland® Resort is celebrating and recognizing these efforts by donating $369,700 to local nonprofit organizations supported by Disney VoluntEARS.
Through The Walt Disney Company’s Ears to You program, Disney VoluntEARS can earn financial contributions for the nonprofit organizations of their choice based on the number of volunteer hours they contribute. At the Disneyland® Resort, more than 170 local organizations benefited from the grants this year.

“The EARS to You Program recognizes me for the volunteer work that I do in my community and enables me to provide a cash donation to a charity that is personally important to me,” said Dave Smith, a project manager at the Disneyland® Resort. Dave designated his $1,000 grant to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Anaheim and over the past five years has contributed more than $5,000 to the organization thanks to the Ears to You program.

Disneyland® Resort also recently announced the recipients of its VoluntEAR of the Year and VoluntEAR Team of the Year awards. Nominated by their peers, the top individual and team of VoluntEARS each received a $2,500 cash donation for the nonprofit of their choice. This year, the Resort put the spotlight on the Crafty Critters, a team of 68 entertainment Cast Members who knit hats, scarves and blankets for various nonprofit organizations in Orange County. In 2008, Crafty Critters volunteered more than 18,000 hours of community service. Since their outreach began three years ago, the team has donated more than 10,000 knitted items.

Oscar Sanchez, a document control specialist in worldwide safety and accessibility, was named the individual VoluntEAR of the Year. His efforts range from working with the Special Olympics and the Cub Scouts to helping coordinate care packages for the troops overseas. Sanchez’s $2,500 grant will benefit Cub Scout Pack 660 in Cypress.