"Give a Day, Get a Disney Day" Program - Montreal

Disney Parks, Volunteer Canada and Santropol Roulant Look to Inspire New Volunteers During Disney Parks "Give a Day, Get a Disney Day" Program

MONTREAL, Sept. 29 /CNW/ - In celebration of the first-of-its-kind Disney Parks campaign, "Give a Day, Get a Disney Day", volunteers joined forces to lend a hand in the Santropol Roulant Edible Campus Garden on McGill University's grounds today.

Beginning January 1, 2010 Disney Parks will commemorate the volunteer spirit with a free one-day admission ticket to a Walt Disney World Resort in Florida or Disneyland Resort in California theme park to the first 1 million people who volunteer a day of their time. Volunteer Canada, an international partner of HandsOn Network, helped bring this campaign to Canada. Working with agencies and volunteer centres in cities across the country, hundreds of volunteers were mobilized at volunteering events such as this one in Montreal.

Santropol Roulant's garden and kitchen were chosen sites for the celebrations, allowing volunteers to see firsthand how a social service, in this case a Meals-on-Wheels program, can be delivered in a sustainable way. The program served 253 clients in 2008 - that is 19,510 meals delivered. The organization's mission is to use the Meals-on-Wheels program, "as a vehicle and a starting point for community building, rather than the end point," says Jane Rabinowicz, Executive Director of Santropol Roulant.

Rabinowicz explains the full cycle of the organizations' services as delivered by volunteers. "We harvest fresh vegetables and fruit from a rooftop garden, 262 kilograms total last year, cook it in our kitchen, deliver it to those in need by bicycle, and compost our food waste, over 900 kilograms, to feed the garden that started the cycle". Today's volunteers will be harvesting vegetables and helping to prepare the meals.

Santropol Roulant is a youth-run organization. Further to the services and meals delivered, the organization focuses on developing leadership skills in their young staff and volunteers. "Through innovative hands-on learning opportunities, we are training the next generation of leaders committed to positive change. Our volunteers give so much, and we are thrilled to be celebrating their hard work today."

Beyond today's events, Volunteer Canada and HandsOn Network, the volunteer-focused arm of Points of Light Institute and the largest volunteer network in the United States, will provide other "family-friendly" volunteer activities for those wishing to participate in the "Give a Day, Get a Disney Day" campaign. Starting January 1, 2010, guests can go to www.DisneyParks.ca to search for volunteer opportunities in their area.

To learn more about Santropol Roulant, visit www.santropolroulant.org.

Right now, families can visit www.DisneyParks.ca to learn more about the program and how to get their free Disney Park ticket.


; ; -------------------------------------------------------------------------
; ; Give a Day, Get a Disney Day details:
; ; Must pre-register and sign up for eligible volunteer opportunity at
; ; www.disneyparks.ca. Ticket quantities for this program are limited. Must
; ; be at least age 6 to participate. Other terms and conditions apply. For
; ; details, see www.disneyparks.ca (in Canada) or www.disneyparks.com (in
; ; the United States and Puerto Rico).
; ; -------------------------------------------------------------------------

; ; About Walt Disney Parks and Resorts
; ; -----------------------------------

Walt Disney Parks and Resorts are where dreams come true. More than 50 years ago, Walt Disney created a new kind of entertainment families could experience together, immersed in detailed atmospheres and vibrant storytelling. His vision now includes a collection of five of the world's leading family vacation destinations - Disneyland Resort, Anaheim, Calif.; Walt Disney World Resort, Lake Buena Vista, Fla.; Tokyo Disney Resort, Urayasu, Chiba, Japan; Disneyland Resort Paris, Marne-la-Vallée, France; and Hong Kong Disneyland Resort, Lantau Island, Hong Kong, China. In addition, Walt Disney Parks and Resorts includes the world-class Disney Cruise Line; Disney Vacation Club, with nine resorts and more than 420,000 members; Adventures by Disney, a guided group vacation experience to some of the world's most popular destinations; Disney Regional Entertainment, which operates the ESPN Zone dining and entertainment centers; the World of Disney stores; and Walt Disney Imagineering, which creates and designs all Disney parks, resorts and attractions. For more information and images, please visit www.disneyparks.ca.


; ; About Volunteer Canada
; ; ----------------------

An International Partner of HandsOn Network, Volunteer Canada is the national voice for volunteerism in Canada. Since 1977, the organization has been committed to increasing and supporting volunteerism and civic participation through ongoing programs, special projects and national initiatives, by developing resources and by engaging in research and training across the country. Working with volunteer centres, community and national organizations and businesses, Volunteer Canada actively leads national dialogues on how volunteerism is related to citizen engagement and civil society and provides leadership on issues and trends in the Canadian volunteer movement.


; ; About HandsOn Network
; ; ---------------------

The volunteer-focused arm of Points of Light Institute, HandsOn Network is the largest volunteer network in the USA and includes more than 250 HandsOn Action Centers that reach more than 83 percent of the USA's population and extend to 10 countries. HandsOn includes a powerful network of more than 70,000 corporate, faith and nonprofit organizations that are answering the call to serve and creating scaled impact. In 2008, the network delivered approximately 30 million hours of volunteer service.

For further information: For media, contact: Elizabeth Gray-Smith, Manager, Communications, Volunteer Canada, (613) 266-9427