It’s that time of year once again. Kids are getting ready to head back to school (some already are) and kick off another year of learning. In preparation for the return to school, the Disneyland Resort provided help for more than 500 students from Orange Grove Elementary School and Patrick Henry Elementary School. Disneyland cast members and Disney VoluntEARS came together to donate more than 8,000 new school supplies for these students.
The effort was part of the annual Back-to-School campaign from the Disneyland Resort. Each year, cast members gather and sort thousand of donations of school supplies. This includes everything from colored pencils and crayons to pencils and spiral notebooks. The Disneyland Resort also donated over 700 pencil boxes to the Orange Grove Elementary School for use in classrooms. In total, over 500 students from Orange Grove Elementary School and Patrick Henry Elementary School are ready to head back to school this year with the tools they need to succeed this year.
“It is important for Disney to host an event like this because it shows that the magic is not just inside the resort,” said Paige Clenney, Disneyland Resort cast member and Disney VoluntEAR involved in the event. “It extends out and it even invites the kids to be a part of the magic as well.”
Along with giving students school supplies, children from each school were also invited to join Disney VoluntEARS to take part in excitement of the new school year. They utilized donated school supplies and wrote handwritten messages about what they are excited about for the upcoming school year. This included writing about making new friends, meeting their new teachers, and also learning about their favorite subjects.
The donations and efforts of the Disney VoluntEARS from the Disneyland Resort continues a tradition that goes back over 17 years at the Orange Grove Elemtnary School. This is all to help students in Anaheim succeed. There are more ways than just the Back-to-School drive that the Disneyland Resort partners with the Orange Grove Elementary School, however. It also supports the HOLA Readers Program. This is a 12-week annual program to help foster a love of reading with students. This is done with dedicated story time with Disney VoluntEARS, Disney Career Days, and also Cinco de Mayo celebrations.
“We are blessed with our great partner down the street, Disneyland Resort,” Dr. Vidal Valdez, Principal of Orange Grove Elementary School, said. “Disney has had an amazing relationship with Orange Grove for the last 17 years. This is a perfect example of Disney being a part of our community and donating rich resources before the start of the school year.”
Disney VoluntEARS have a wonderful legacy of giving back to the community. This tradition continues on today and was started over 40 years ago. Disney VoluntEARS from Disneyland Resort have been giving their time and efforts to the community since 1983! There are many ways that this is done that range from local to global initiatives. To date, The Walt Disney Company employees and cast members have donated more than 13 million hours to their communities!
What do you think of this Back-to-School initiative? What do you like most about Disney VoluntEARS? Share your thoughts and opinions in the comments below!
