Airport travel just got more magical for military families using Orlando International Airport (OIA). They can now relax on comfy couches and chairs, and watch big-screen televisions in a cozy, Disney-inspired family room inside the airport’s new USO Welcome Center. Created with a $100,000 gift from the Walt Disney Company, this family room is the centerpiece of the new 3,100-square-foot USO Welcome Center.
“Thanks to the support of our Central Florida community partners, military members and their families now have a beautiful space to rest, relax and regroup while on deployments,” said Charlie Rogers, Chairman of USO Central Florida.
The Disney-designed family room accompanies other comforts of home offered at the Welcome Center, including a pantry stocked with tasty snacks and refreshing drinks, a business center with computers and printers, a quiet room, and a kids’ area.
Disney Cast Members also are volunteering to be among the first individuals to greet, assist and provide special Disney care for the military men, women and their families who visit the Welcome Center.
“The family room Disney Cast Members helped design is the latest example of a longstanding tradition of supporting service members,” said Nancy Gidusko, director of Corporate Citizenship for Walt Disney World Resort. “It is our hope this contribution will assist USO Central Florida to create a warm gathering place for military families as they travel through Orlando International Airport for years to come.”
In addition to the support provided to military families at the USO Welcome Center, Walt Disney World Resort salutes service members with discounted theme park tickets and rates at Disney Resort hotels, as well as special in-park ceremonies. Across the Walt Disney Company, some 6,500 veterans also have been hired through the Heroes Work Here initiative.