The CHOC Walk is a bit different this year. Because of the pandemic, this year’s CHOC Walk is being celebrated virtually. The event, which is usually held at the Disneyland Resort, took to the internet on the afternoon of May 22 and then to local neighborhoods as thousands of people walked to raise money and awareness for Children’s Hospital of Orange County. The day was full of magic, memories, and a lot of heart as people shared their love of CHOC and raised funds.
The opening ceremony of the virtual CHOC Walk began at 1:00 on May 22nd. It was hosted by KTLA’s Henry DiCarlo and Super Kara, a former patient at CHOC Walk. They were also joined by DJ JoJo. The ceremony lasted approximately one-half hour.
During the ceremony, the history of CHOC Walk was shared, CHOC President and CEO Kimberly Chavalas Cripe shared about things that CHOC does and the recognition it has received. She also shared how Disney has supported it through the years. Near the end, Disneyland President Ken Potrock joined the ceremony to share about Disneyland’s dedication to the CHOC Walk and the honor he gets to be a part of the board for CHOC. This was followed by Disneyland Ambassador Justin Rapp, who helped get the excitement going even more and then introduce the warmup for the CHOC Walk. This was done with Mickey and the gang doing a fun Mousercise warmup. Finally, the countdown kicked off the Virtual CHOC Walk and people went out in their local neighborhoods.
A Few Facts From the Virtual CHOC Walk
- Children’s Hospital of Orange County (CHOC) was founded in 1964 with Walt Disney supporting the opening efforts.
- The first CHOC Walk was in 1990 when CHOC was moving to a new facility. Nearly 1,000 people participated in the event.
- People participated in this year’s Virtual CHOC Walk from around the globe!
- This year’s Virtual CHOC Walk has raised over $1.2 million (at the time of this being written)
- The CHOC Walk has raised around $37.5 million through the last 30 years.
- Through the years, CHOC has provided over $114 million in uncompensated care for kids.
- Disney has contributed around $50 million to CHOC through the years in different ways.
- Disney recently added new interactive art and experiences for the children at CHOC.
- This year, a new CHOC Walk Playlist was released by Disney Parks. It can be found at http://disneymusic.co/chocwalk.
- Disneyland President Ken Potrock is a part of CHOC’s Board of Directors.
- Every social media post made today with #chocwalk is an opportunity to win a pair of Choco branded Vans.
- This year a Stream-A-Thon began following the Virtual CHOC Walk to continue to raise funds for the event through gaming.
The CHOC Walk is always an event that is both fun and fulfilling as the community comes together to make a difference for CHOC. It is a wonderful cause full of wonderful people. If you would like to support it, please visit chocwalk.org/dapsmagic and be a part of making this event an even bigger success than it already is!
