Disney Parks VoluntEARS Help Families Prepare For Back-to-School

At Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, we are committed to supporting our local communities and this time of year, we’re proud to set students up for success at school. Cast members across the U.S. partnered with local organizations to support back-to-school efforts in a variety of ways—from volunteering at fundraisers to collecting and distributing school supplies.

Last month, Walt Disney World Ambassadors helped kick off the annual Back-to-School Supply Drive by presenting local “teachers of the year” with classroom materials. Cast members and the Walt Disney World Resort teamed up to help collect $866,000 worth of backpacks, notebooks and other school supplies that will be distributed to more than 100,000 students in Central Florida by A Gift For Teaching (AGFT). In addition to more than 1,500 VoluntEARS service hours spent collecting and sorting the supplies, cast members also answered phones at a local Orlando TV station telethon to benefit AGFT.

Disneyland Resort participated in the “Stuff the Bus” nonprofit charity drive to collect back-to-school supplies for Anaheim students in need. The Resort also contributed $1,000 in crayons, notebooks, pencils and more toward the donation.

Additionally, Disney Cruise Line and Disney Vacation Club VoluntEARS stocked 250 backpacks with supplies and distributed them to local schools and organizations that support youth programs.