LPWire: Disneyland Resort Celebrates 45th Anniversary of Community Service Awards
Disneyland Resort Celebrates 45th
Anniversary of Community Service Awards
100 Orange County Charities Receive Grants Totaling $500,000
In the spirit of tradition and community service, the Disneyland(R) Resort today awarded a total of $500,000 to 100 Orange County service organizations at the 45th Annual Disneyland(R) Resort Community Service Awards held in the Hyperion Theater at Disney's California Adventure.
The Disneyland(R) Resort Community Service Awards grants included one $50,000 Outstanding Award, one $20,000 Jack B. Lindquist Award, two $11,000 Special Judges Awards, 16 $8,000 Leadership Awards and 80 $3,500 Category Awards.
The recipients of these awards represent organizations in the categories of cultural arts, youth, health, education, civic community service, service by or for senior citizens, social community service and environment and conservation.
Special guest Roy Disney, vice chairman of the board of directors for The Walt Disney Co. and nephew of Walt Disney, was the featured speaker at this special 45th anniversary event to honor the dedication and commitment of service agencies throughout Orange County. Disneyland(R) Resort President Cynthia Harriss and Mickey Mouse introduced the ceremony, which was themed to commemorate the 100th birthday of Walt Disney.
"Walt Disney was a man with a dream," opened Harriss. "But his dream went far beyond creating world-class entertainment, for he was devoted to serving his fellow man and the community at large. That's why he started the Community Service Awards program 45 years ago...a venerable tradition that allows us to pay tribute to you who enrich the lives of those in need."
Since the program was established in 1957 by Walt Disney, more than 1,900 awards have been presented to worthy local organizations with grants totaling more than $7.5 million. And in its 45-year history, more than 13,500 organizations have participated in the Community Service Awards.
"My message to you today is simply to say 'thank you' and 'keep it up,'" said Roy Disney. "For 48 years, we've grown up together. Orange County has been our shared home. At Disney, we like to think, and hope, that this community has been made better by the fun and laughter we have provided. We know it has been made better by the generosity and dedication you have provided."
A cadre of distinguished leaders from the community selected the award recipients from the hundreds of applications received by the Resort.
This year's panel included Peace Corps director Gaddi H. Vasquez; Most Reverend Jaime Soto Archbishop Diocese of Orange; N. Christian Anderson, III, publisher of The Orange County Register; Sandra Segerstrom, managing partner for C.J. Segerstrom & Sons; Carol Latham, Anaheim community leader and Jamie Hyun Yoo, Student Ambassador for the Anaheim Union High School District.
This year's top award, the Outstanding Award of $50,000 went to Canning Hunger, a Brea, Calif.-based organization with a mission of motivating, recruiting, training and deploying volunteers to help feed the disadvantaged and working poor, restoring people to nutritional fitness and healthy well-being.
"This is truly phenomenal and absolutely overwhelming," exclaimed Norm Whan, founder and president of Canning Hunger. "This grant will help fund our project to establish the first hunger-free community in America in the city of Orange. We can't thank the Disneyland(R) Resort enough!"
The Jack B. Lindquist Award, the $20,000 grant named after the former Disneyland(R) president and community leader, was presented to CHOICES/Teen Awareness, a Fullerton, Calif., non-profit which strives to educate adolescents about the responsibilities associated with quality decision making during the teen years.
Special Judges Awards of $11,000 each were presented to Kids Konnected of Laguna Hills, Calif., which provides friendship, understanding and support for kids who have a parent with cancer or have lost a parent with cancer, and STOP-GAP of Santa Ana, Calif., a theater company that uses drama as an educational and therapeutic tool.
The Disneyland(R) Resort Community Service Awards was started by Walt Disney himself. He recognized the importance of valuing the selfless works and unparalleled dedication to making a difference in the quality of life in our community.
--Posted September 4, 2002
Source: Disneyland Resort