[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Disney will donate up to US $2 million to Make-A-Wish to help make wishes come true for children with critical illnesses.
BURBANK, Calif., November 4, 2018 – The Walt Disney Company today launched its Share Your Ears campaign, benefiting Make-A-Wish.
For the third year in a row, Disney is supporting Make-A-Wish by inviting fans to share their ears on social media to grant more wishes. From now on through November 17, 2018, Disney will donate US $5, up to a total of US $2 million, to Make-A-Wish for every public photo posted showing off “Mickey Mouse ears” — or any creative “ears” — on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter using the hashtag #ShareYourEars.
In addition, guests at various Disney Parks around the world, including Disneyland Paris, can #ShareYourEars with special photo opportunities, including uniquely themed photo walls at select locations created exclusively for #ShareYourEars by Walt Disney Imagineering. Also beginning on November 5, Disney Cruise Line guests can #ShareYourEars with a special onboard photo opportunity using iconic ship elements as a backdrop to provide the famous “ears.”
“It is a tremendous honor to support children whose wish is to come to Disney. Wish granting exemplifies the magic our 160,000 cast members and Imagineers create for guests all over the world every day,” said Bob Chapek, Chairman, Disney Parks, Experiences and Consumer Products. “With this third Share Your Ears campaign, we’ll get to make a difference in the lives of even more children and families.”
Disney has helped grant more than 130,000 wishes during its 40-year partnership with Make-A-Wish. Chapek also recently joined the Make-A-Wish America board of directors.
During the campaign, ABC, Disney Channel and Freeform will feature messages from popular actors and performers across multiple platforms encouraging viewers to take part in #ShareYourEars. Social media handles and celebrities from across the company will also post photos and videos showing off how they share their ears. Disney Theatrical Productions will celebrate with audiences on Broadway, providing campaign information in Playbills for The Lion King, Aladdin and Frozen.
Disney and Make-A-Wish have a long-standing history together. Since 1980, when Disney was part of the first official wish, Disney has helped Make-A-Wish fulfill experiences that not only brighten lives for a special moment, but also help wish kids and their families replace fear with confidence, sadness with joy, and anxiety with hope. Currently, more than 10,000 Disney wishes are granted every year, and this number continues to grow.
Jon Stettner, president and CEO of Make-A-Wish International added, “We are so grateful to Disney, and its guests and fans worldwide, for their ongoing support. Disney’s continued generosity strengthens our global organization and allows us to grant life-changing wishes in more than 50 countries. We are delighted to be a part of the third year of this incredible campaign.”
Share Your Ears is part of the Disney Team of Heroes philanthropic initiative and outreach program to deliver comfort and inspiration to families around the world. In March 2018, The Walt Disney Company made a five-year, US $100 million commitment to reinvent the patient and family experience in children’s hospitals and is working with children’s wish-granting organizations around the world to fulfill wishes for children facing critical illnesses.
Visit www.ShareYourEars.org for more information.
About Disneyland Paris
Disneyland Paris is Europe’s number one tourist destination, with two theme parks (Disneyland Park and Walt Disney Studios Park), eight Disney Hotels & Resorts, two full-service convention centers and a 27-hole golf course. In addition, Disneyland Paris is home to one of the largest entertainment centers in Ile-de-France: Disney Village. Themed restaurants, shops and cinema multiplexes come together on nearly 30,000 m². The destination has a total of 59 attractions, 63 shops and 55 restaurants.
About Make-A-Wish®
Make-A-Wish® creates life-changing wishes for children with critical illnesses. We seek to bring every eligible child’s wish to life because a wish is an integral part of a child’s treatment journey. Research shows children who have wishes granted can build the physical and emotional strength they need to fight their illness. Headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona, Make-A-Wish is the world’s leading children’s wish-granting organization, serving children in more than 50 countries worldwide. Together, generous donors, supporters, staff and more than 40,000 volunteers grant a wish every 17 minutes, on average, somewhere in the world. Since 1980, Make-A-Wish has granted nearly 450,000 wishes to children; more than 30,000 last year alone. For more information about Make-A-Wish America, visit wish.org and for more information about Make-A-Wish International, visit worldwish.org. [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]