The Disneyland Resort continues to move forward and invest in, and empower, local nonprofit organizations as a part of its community workforce development initiative. This year, Disneyland Resort has donated over $1 million to local nonprofits and school districts.
The community workforce development initiative is all about developing and preparing the workforce in Anaheim and beyond. It empowers job seekers and students through programming with nonprofits and local school districts. Disneyland Resort provides both financial support and manpower through its Disney VoluntEARS. They develop relationships with the organizations as they volunteer their time and talents to help with mentorship, training workshops, skills development, and more.
Since 2017, over $7.5 million has been donated by Disneyland Resort as a part of the community workforce development initiative. It has also impacted over 10,000 lives! Through these efforts, organizations have been able to grow their workforce programming and develop new programs.
There are quite a few different recipients that were supported by this year’s grants from the Disneyland Resort. This includes Anaheim’s Innovating Mentoring Experience (AIME) providing one-on-one mentoring for high school students, career skills development workshops with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Orange County and the Inland Empire, and more. All of these organizations provide valuable resources for job seekers and serve a diverse set of community needs.
“Following the approval of DisneylandForward, our expanding investment in the Anaheim community and dedication to workforce development remains a top priority for us. That’s why we are so proud to continue supporting schools and nonprofits that are empowering the next generation of leaders,” said Ken Potrock, president of Disneyland Resort. “The incredible work these organizations are doing to make a positive impact in our community is truly inspiring, and we are honored to support their efforts.”
This year, two new organizations joined the community workforce development initiative: Caterina’s Club and Love Anaheim.
Caterina’s Club was founded on a mission to provide warm meals, affordable housing assistance, and job training to homeless and low-income families. This organization has been making an impact in southern California for almost 20 years. The organization is striving to expand workforce programming through its Hospitality Program. The goal of this is to give Anaheim high school students more opportunities to explore careers in the hospitality and service industries.
Earlier this year, Caterina’s Club was teamed up with the Disneyland Resort and was the celebrated charity of the 2024 Disneyland Resort Half Marathon Weekend.
Love Anaheim was launched in 2016 with the mission of “spreading goodness and demonstrating kindness.” This organization provides resources that connect service project opportunities with volunteers to help with causes that are important in the City of Anaheim. The funding from the Disneyland Resort will help Love Anaheim build up its Better Way Anaheim program. This provides skills training and services to community members who are experiencing homelessness, with the goal of securing employment.
As part of the celebration of the 40th anniversary of Disney VoluntEARS, Disneyland Resort worked with Love Anaheim to pack care kits for the Anaheim Inclement Weather Shelter Network along with a series of park beautification projects in Anaheim.
