[vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”13856″ img_size=”medium”][vc_column_text]As a two-week-long toy drive came to an end, Disney VoluntEARS at Disneyland Paris gathered at Disney’s Newport Bay Club hotel this morning to wrap gifts for 1500 children in hospitals across France, all part of the company’s Family Volunteer Day.
Disney VoluntEARS—employee volunteers who contribute their free time to carrying out charitable actions inside and outside the park—spent their Saturday morning wrapping the toys with their families in the hotel’s convention centre. The room was filled with the sounds of holiday jingles, the scent of pine from the Christmas tree, and the cheer of everyone in the room, all in an effort to bring smiles to children.
To ensure that children in hospitals across France will have a special surprise waiting for them for the holidays, Disneyland Paris Cast Members and the company both donated a total of 1500 toys. A total of 120 Disney VoluntEARS with their family members participated in the gift wrapping in celebration of Family Volunteer Day, recognised by all Disney Parks and Resorts on 23 November. As Christmas day approaches, the Disney VoluntEARS will distribute the gifts to several different hospitals across France.[/vc_column_text][vc_single_image image=”13857″ img_size=”medium”][vc_column_text]“The Disney VoluntEARS bring magic to children in hospitals with Mickey and Minnie throughout the year. The toy drive is a way for us to involve other Cast Members and to provide these children with gifts that can stay with them long after our visits,” said Richard Eltvedt, Director of Government Affairs. “As volunteers, Cast Members at Disneyland Paris have shared magic with children in hospitals across France since 1991, even before the park’s official opening.”
In addition to today’s gift wrapping, Disneyland Paris partnered with Benenova, an affiliate of the global non-profit network, Points of Light. Alongside Benenova volunteers, Cast Members sorted toys and clothes for families in need in Paris and in areas neighbouring the resort.
Family Volunteer Day serves to encourage volunteerism and quality family time—values at the core of Disneyland Paris and other Disney Parks around the world—through a global partnership between The Walt Disney Company and the international Points of Light non-profit network.[/vc_column_text][vc_single_image image=”13858″ img_size=”medium”][/vc_column][/vc_row]