On Oct. 1, 1971, Disney World swung open its gates, and turned our area into a world-wide tourism destination, created countless jobs and opportunities, and changed many lives.
As the resort celebrates its 50th anniversary this week and weekend, it’s continuing to change lives by granting a total of $3 million to six nonprofit organizations in Central Florida, helping to support their important causes and “inspire a world of difference.”
The formal announcement was made Friday morning, the day of Disney’s golden anniversary.
Their names are familiar in the region -- Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Florida, Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida, Heart of Florida United Way and ELEVATE Orlando – but the other two are very well-known in Osceola County -- Hope Partnership and Give Kids the World, who both received $500,000 to continue their missions.
For Hope Partnership, which works tirelessly to ensure all families in the county have a safe and stable place to call home, this is a game-changing occurrence. The money is great -- $500,000 represents a quarter of the non-profit’s $2 million annual budget, but forming a bond with Walt Disney World is just as important.
“It was a very pleasant surprise when we found out two weeks ago, the hard part was waiting until (Friday) to announce it as part of their anniversary,” Hope Partnership CEO Rev. Mary Downey said. “It’s an amazing gift based on our budget. But beyond the money, it shows the amount of recognition of our work. Walt Disney World continues to be a strong partner, but never to this level.”
Downey said this is the first time in eight years the organization did not have to go through the process of competing for cooperative dollars.
“We’re excited to form a continued partnership with Disney’s VoluntEars program for skills-based support. For all of it, we are thoroughly grateful,” she said.
Give Kids the World Village operates in Kissimmee as a place where ill children can come and bring their families, free of charge, to create priceless memories away from the medical world and experience a “wish vacation including a resort stay and trips to the theme parks. They were also beneficiaries of a $500,000 grant.
