Give a Day of Volunteering in 2010, Get a Day of Disney Theme Park Fun - Free

Disney Parks Hopes to Inspire 1 Million Volunteers Beginning Jan. 1

TORONTO, Sept. 29 /CNW/ - Disney Parks today announced a new program that celebrates the spirit of volunteerism with a simple proposition: "Give a Day, Get a Disney Day."

Disney hopes to inspire families to volunteer in their communities during 2010 through this first-of-its-kind program. One million people who volunteer with a participating organization will receive a free one-day admission ticket to a Walt Disney World Resort or Disneyland Resort theme park.

While the "Give a Day, Get a Disney Day" program kicks off Jan. 1, right now guests can learn more about the program and how to get their free one-day admission to a Walt Disney World Resort in Florida, or a Disneyland Resort in California theme park by visiting www.DisneyParks.ca (for Canada) or www.DisneyParks.com (for the United States and Puerto Rico).

In the past year, guests have been celebrating all sorts of special moments in their lives at Disney parks - from birthdays and anniversaries to reunions and graduations - as part of the "What Will You Celebrate?" campaign.

"In 2010, we want to recognize and add one more reason for celebration: the contributions people make to their communities every day," said Jay Rasulo, chairman of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts. "We want to inspire 1 million volunteers - people who will invest time and energy to make their own communities and neighbourhoods a better place."

The campaign officially launched today, with events across North America to celebrate the program. Disney Parks is working with HandsOn Network, the volunteer arm of Points of Light Institute. Volunteer Canada, an international partner of HandsOn Network, will bring the campaign to Canada.

By working through its network of volunteer centres and 161,000 nonprofit agencies, Volunteer Canada is delivering the infrastructure needed to enable people to sign up for an eligible volunteer project through www.DisneyParks.ca.

"Volunteers play a crucial role in keeping the Canadian social fabric together," said Ruth MacKenzie, president of Volunteer Canada. "We are so pleased to be working with HandsOn Network to inspire individuals and families to volunteer and to celebrate the work they do for the betterment of their communities."

Bob Iger, president and CEO of The Walt Disney Company, said, " 'Give a Day, Get a Disney Day' fits perfectly with our long history of supporting and participating in volunteer efforts. It's a great way to honour guests who are making a positive contribution to their communities."

Starting Jan. 1, 2010, guests can go to www.DisneyParks.ca (for Canada) or www.DisneyParks.com (for the United States and Puerto Rico) to search for volunteer opportunities available in their area. Many of the opportunities will be for projects that entire families can participate in together.

To raise awareness for grass-roots community volunteerism and the 'Give a Day, Get a Disney Day' program, Disney VoluntEARS joined local volunteers in cities across the United States and Canada today. Work projects involving 1,000 volunteers were coordinated by HandsOn Network in Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles and Miami, and by Volunteer Canada in Toronto, Montreal, Halifax and Vancouver.

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Give a Day, Get a Disney Day details:
Must pre-register and sign up for eligible volunteer opportunity at www.disneyparks.ca. Ticket quantities for this program are limited. Must be at least age 6 to participate. Other terms and conditions apply. For details, see www.disneyparks.ca (in Canada) or www.disneyparks.com(in the United States and Puerto Rico). -------------------------------------------------------------------------