Disney VoluntEARS Program Celebrates 35 Years at the Disneyland Resort

From building playgrounds to packing military care packages and providing meals for the local community, Disney VoluntEARS are celebrating 35 years at the Disneyland Resort and 10 million hours of volunteer service around the world. Disney VoluntEARS at the Disneyland Resort has collected more than 400,000 toys for Toys for Tots, packed more than 183,000 food boxes at the Orange County Food Bank and raised more than $1.6 million for CHOC Children’s during the annual CHOC Walk in the Park.

To celebrate the anniversary, Disneyland Resort President Josh D’Amaro recognized the 2018 Disney VoluntEARS of the Year at an awards reception at Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa on June 7. Congratulations to this year’s recipients, who were presented an award and a $2,500 charitable contribution from The Walt Disney Company toward a nonprofit organization of their choice.

Megan Matsumoto, a Disneyland Resort sketch artist, volunteered more than 100 hours in 2017. A dedicated volunteer with the Sertoma Baseball and Softball Camp for deaf and hard-of-hearing youth, Matsumoto often volunteers at the camp before her work shifts.

For 10 years, the Disneyland Resort Design and Engineering CANstruction team have planned, designed and built a Disney-themed structure made entirely from canned goods for display at South Coast Plaza during CANstruction Orange County, a design competition benefiting the Orange County Food Bank.

In 2017, Laura Iwasaki, a lead security specialist at the Disneyland Resort, and her family attended 12 Disney VoluntEARS events, spending time together while packing military care packages and walking to raise funds for various charities.