The Give a Day Thread~Share Your Experience

[mouselovenfamily]

Hopefully this isn't started somewhere else. I didn't see a thread for just sharing so I thought I would start one.

This is a wonderful thing to see so many people want to help out! Disney has really got people moving.

I just signed up this morning. It was hard to find something our entire family can do together with a 13 year old. Most opportunities in the area are taken or only needing two people or so. We have a group of eight with our neighbors and were all wanting to do something together. I've signed up and will await my confirmation e-mail. I hope we get on the list!!! Seeing problems people are having, I may end up calling the place before the 5 day grace peroid to be sure we get to do it. So excited!!!

[BradyBz12]

I signed up last week to make blankets for the local NH chapter of Project Linus. I found the sign up process pretty easy, and the NH PL coordinator got back to me almost immediately and was super responsive to my questions.

I signed up DH and myself and our local chapter's requirements are one blanket donation per person and you can either deliver or mail to the coordinator.

We have one blanket done, and one underway. Being a longtime crafter, they're actually a lot of fun to make and I may make some extras to send. Gives me an outlet for the crafting bug without filling up my house with stuff *I* don't need. ;)

PLEASE NOTE: Project Linus requirements are set by each individual chapter. Some require more blankets per person, making them at a set time/location, and/or delivering them in person. If you're doing this through another chapter, confirm with them exactly what they require before you sign up. :thumbsup2

[MickeyMomOfThree]

I have had a less then easy time so far. I signed up on Jan 1st and by Jan 2nd heard back, had a date, time loaction and even how to dress. A few days later I was emailed and told our service was no longer needed. Since then I have been turned down for a second oppertunity nad have not heard back for easily 20 more as far as 2 hours away. Not many want our youngest DD. We do some volunteering on our own but were hoping to do this as well. I check back daily as more are being offered, but at this point if we get a certificate it will be a bonus but aren't expecing one. We are however looking in to more volunteering with our kids seperate from the Disney promotion.

Having said all that I still think it is a great promotion but are sad that we have been turned down and really do not understand why. :confused3

[my 3 princesses]

I have had a less then easy time so far. I signed up on Jan 1st and by Jan 2nd heard back, had a date, time loaction and even how to dress. A few days later I was emailed and told our service was no longer needed. Since then I have been turned down for a second oppertunity nad have not heard back for easily 20 more as far as 2 hours away. Not many want our youngest DD. We do some volunteering on our own but were hoping to do this as well. I check back daily as more are being offered, but at this point if we get a certificate it will be a bonus but aren't expecing one. We are however looking in to more volunteering with our kids seperate from the Disney promotion.

Having said all that I still think it is a great promotion but are sad that we have been turned down and really do not understand why. :confused3

I've had a similar experience. We were turned down for two opportunities (they had already filled the spots and this was on Jan 2nd!). There really don't seem to be many opportunities near us. Most are at least 1 1/2-2 hours away. I'm a little bummed as I thought it would be a good experience to volunteer with my family with the added bonus of tickets to WDW. Oh, well. We'll just continue to volunteer at our local food pantry where the only reward is knowing that we've touched people's lives. I'm ok with that. :)

[suzicute20]

Hopefully this isn't started somewhere else. I didn't see a thread for just sharing so I thought I would start one.

This is a wonderful thing to see so many people want to help out! Disney has really got people moving.

I just signed up this morning. It was hard to find something our entire family can do together with a 13 year old. Most opportunities in the area are taken or only needing two people or so. We have a group of eight with our neighbors and were all wanting to do something together. I've signed up and will await my confirmation e-mail. I hope we get on the list!!! Seeing problems people are having, I may end up calling the place before the 5 day grace peroid to be sure we get to do it. So excited!!!

Our experience was good - we signed up to work at a local food bank. We got an email with our vouchers a little less than a week later.

On another thread, there have been a number of people signed up with an unspecified date and time and who not hear back from the organization within 5 days. I would not hesitate to contact the organization. Good luck!

I think this is a wonderful program as well.

[mouselovenfamily]

Are you able to sign up for more than one opportunity or do you wait to be declined before you look for something else???

[MickeyMomOfThree]

I've had a similar experience. We were turned down for two opportunities (they had already filled the spots and this was on Jan 2nd!). There really don't seem to be many opportunities near us. Most are at least 1 1/2-2 hours away. I'm a little bummed as I thought it would be a good experience to volunteer with my family with the added bonus of tickets to WDW. Oh, well. We'll just continue to volunteer at our local food pantry where the only reward is knowing that we've touched people's lives. I'm ok with that. :)

Yep, us too, and we are good with that too! :thumbsup2

[smc10140]

Got my voucher! Did the service last week and got back my email voucher within the week! (This time frame may not be the norm....is up to organizer to get the time to verify volunteers )


I did mine with my son. Almost any activity that is family based u may be able to bring those under 6.... they will just not get a ticket but still have a great time joining the activity. Just drop them an email, u get a email address of the organizer once u register.

Ours was also scheduled from 9-3...but it only took 1 1/2 hours...it would have been less if there wasn't a back flow of people registering.

In most cases the activity is only for a couple of hours. The long time frame stated allows for all the people to come thru and complete project. I kinda figured that b4 hand bc there was no way they can expect a 6yr old to work for 6 hours.

Happy Volunteering!


Also if any one gets a chance....I am curious to see the "Collectible Ear Hat figurine with exclusive trading pins" as one of the options. Anyone choose that and got a pic I would appreciate it!

:thumbsup2

[dburg30]

Are you able to sign up for more than one opportunity or do you wait to be declined before you look for something else???
Yes, you can sign up for more then one at a time.

[Captain Hook Wannabe]

I signed up, and received a confirming email. Two days before the event, I received an email reminding me to show up. I drove 40 minutes to the location of my assignment. I found the person in charge and said, "I'm here to volunteer." I got a blank stare with no response. I then said, "I signed up through the Disney give a day program." I was then told nobody had any idea I was coming. I cleaned up some garbage for about 15 minutes, but that was it. I went back inside and they told me, and two other people who showed up, to go home.

Kind of a bummer, but I will sign up somewhere else for another project.

[mouselovenfamily]

So far so good. Got a confirmation tonight to work a project from an event scheduler...even though it's Sunday. Hopefully it works well for everyone else.

[DisneyRunner2009]

We completed our service yesterday at a museum. We made superballs and slime for about 3.5 hours. The shift was four hours but, we stood around for a half hour waiting for staff to help us. We volunteered with a girl who is going down next week to do a second round on the college program. For the day there were 12 volunteers for the Disney program.

[arielsleepingbeauty]

I have had a hard time finding something within 1 1/2 hours driving distance for my family. Both of my girls are under 10. Everything I come across says 0 volunteers needed.

[sand&sun2]

looking for a place

[TaraPA]

I just got a call from the event coordinator this morning & will be helping to stuff envelopes at a women's & children's shelter on Thursday from 9am-1pm. Can't wait!

[DIS_JKK]

Our family has completed the voulenteering process. We received our vouchers today. We did Project Linus. It was wonderful. Everything moved smoothly and quickly.
:cheer2::cheer2::cheer2::cheer2::cheer2::cheer2:

[mouselovenfamily]

It seems like alot of people are having problems finding volunteer opportunities. I e-mailed two and only heard form one so we will be doing it this weekend.

[stacy347]

We signed up with Project Linus. We are making our 5 blankets this weekend and delivering them next week. We're not going till May so that should be plenty of time to get the vouchers. I'm happy we found something that all of us could do together! :cutie:

[MHSweb79]

We don't have any Project Linus opportunities listed- dang! I went out as far as 40 miles from my ZIP code and there's very little available. Most are saying they need 0 volunteers. I did email two, and only one got back to me, saying they had only weekday hours available. Since we are at work/ class all day, that's no good.
I just emailed Habitat for Humanity, who say they need Saturday volunteers, but it's freezing winter here and we have tickets to West Palm Beach on Feb. 28 (to see my folks, who have Disney AP's) so I'm doubtful we'll get this done before we go.
The real kicker is that I already to a LOT of community service, but they aren't registered for this program. I do understand, though, that Disney has to have a system in place to monitor everyone's activities. It would be chaos if you just had to have an organization "vouch" for your services.

[disneynutsss]

i got in touch with someone about the "making blankets" program, they require 6 blankets. When i went to sign up through the disney site, it wouldnt let me sign up my son who is 16. i looked for another opportunity and found the blossom program. we will be donating toiletries, toys and the like. i signed both of us up successfully and am awaiting the "suggested items" list.

i will update as the process goes along.

[dthogue]

Are you able to sign up for more than one opportunity or do you wait to be declined before you look for something else???

I signed up for about 5 last night - I heard back from three of them today - and signed our family up for one of them once I had the day/time arrangements made.

Tammy

[kymom99]

We are inthe midst of Project linus. We bought our fabric today. I told them we would have them turned in by January 23rd. I'm not very crafty, so I may make my husband do the cutting! He is much better than I am at that sort of thing!;)

[Tink412]

I just signed my DBf and myself up for GAD doing a Habitat for Humanity project on March 6th in Bedford, MA. I'm so excited!! Is anyone else doing the same project?:goodvibes

[Tink412]

I just signed my DBf and myself up for GAD doing a Habitat for Humanity project on March 6th in Bedford, MA. I'm so excited!! Is anyone else doing the same project?:goodvibes

[mouselovenfamily]

Anyone looking for a spot on the blankets may try the Wichita, KS Grieving childrens Blanket project. You can sign up on the site by searching the Wichita Zip code (67256) and she will let you mail them in. She is very quick at getting back and very helpful. It would need to be done by the end of the month I think.

[charity]

I signed up to volunteer but I don't need a ticket. We have already paid for our upcoming trip. I wounder if we could get a voucher for something else?

[dd316]

I signed up to volunteer but I don't need a ticket. We have already paid for our upcoming trip. I wounder if we could get a voucher for something else?

What if You Already Have a Season Pass or You've Already Purchased Multi-Day Passes for an Upcoming Trip?

You won't be able to get any money back for the dough you've already paid, nor would you be able to transfer the free ticket to anyone else, but Disney still has free goodies for you. You could choose one of the following:

* A Special Fastpass card for certain attractions for you and up to 5 additional members of your party.
* A collectible Ear Hat figurine with exclusive trading pins.
* Or you could go the altruistic route and allow Disney to donate your free ticket to a non-profit organization on your behalf.

[n2mm]

Looked several times for something in my area and there's nothing unless we're willing to drive 2 or more hours. I have a DH who is out of projects to do and is very capable, but nothing to sign up for. Too bad.

[CTmommyx3]

If you sign up for a program that can have kids do they each get a voucher too for doing it with me? Or is it just me that would get it?

[Bev J]

Because of my work hours I don't have alot of free time so I thought it would be very hard for me to find a spot. Then last night our local news was talking about it and that you can be a blood donor- hey even I have time for that! I signed up this morning- it indicates they need 150 donors every day! So check and see if your local blood bank is on this list if your having a hard time finding something you can do.
My DH and I will sign up and we are trying to find something our 15yr old can do.

Bev

[acourtwdw]

We signed up on Jan 1 for a blanket project since that was the only event within 50 miles of us. We had our blanket "party" with our family. Dropped the blankets the next day and within 2 business days we got our email for our vouchers!!! For us, it was very easy :)

[viluvsdisney]

we're helping a Chihuahua rescue all day. Lots of dogs are arriving from CA in CO (many dogs are abandoned/given up after the novelty of the idea of the poor dog wears off). We're helping with a meet and greet to help adopt/place the animals in proper homes, walking, playing with, and feeding them. Both kids (7yrs and 10 yrs) are able to volunteer and are so excited. Our DD already volunteers at the humane society every week so this is right up our family's alley!

[welovespacemoutain]

We did the blanket project - took an evening and an afternoon. It will be tight to get everything approved before we leave 1/29. Initially I was thinking about using the GAD voucher to help go towards upgrading the 10 day tickets we need this time to AP's and take a quick trip down after Thanksgiving to see the decorations, but I decided to take the $240 value of the one day tickets (less my supply costs) and give it to Haitian relief efforts.

[MomPOM]

We did our blankets on the 9th, dropped off on the 11th and I just went today (the 14th) to "manage my account" and my vouchers were there to print. Of course I'm out of ink so I can't print them but they are there and ready to go.

[tink&stitchmom]

Looked several times for something in my area and there's nothing unless we're willing to drive 2 or more hours. I have a DH who is out of projects to do and is very capable, but nothing to sign up for. Too bad.

I stumbled across this at the bottom of the GAD search results page (in a blue box):
"Not finding enough opportunities? Try broadening your search. Select ALL interest areas.
Click here for information for HandsOn Network partner organizations you can contact that will have additional qualifying opportunities. "

When you "click here" a new list comes up. I was able to find a Project Linus chapter 30 minutes away opposed to 2 hours.:goodvibes

[welovespacemoutain]

I stumbled across this at the bottom of the GAD search results page (in a blue box):
"Not finding enough opportunities? Try broadening your search. Select ALL interest areas.
Click here for information for HandsOn Network partner organizations you can contact that will have additional qualifying opportunities. "

When you "click here" a new list comes up. I was able to find a Project Linus chapter 30 minutes away opposed to 2 hours.:goodvibes

I just tried that and found a Project Linus 30 minutes away that was participating and my Mom was driving right by the drop off place today. Of course I paid $11 to ship my blankets to Illinois yesterday!

[freepixie]

We are also going to do the Project Linus! Its amazing - I had no idea it was a national organization until the GAD thing came about - I really thought it was a local organization!! Working in social service, I have seen the children that these blankets go to and they are VERY MUCH appreciated by the kiddos and the families, so I was really happy to see they were on the list!! Now it feels really cool to be on the other side, the making side!

I hope this weekend to get out and buy the fabric! I'm going gung-ho and making a quilt! Should be interesting, considering I have a love-hate relationship with our sewing machine :rotfl:

[TaraPA]

I completed my service yesterday & it was so easy! We were just putting address labels on mailings for a local women & children's shelter. There were so many volunteers that it only took an hour. We felt so guilty leaving after just an hour!

[itchin2go]

I just signed up to make Valentine's cards for elderly residents of a local facility. My 8 year old daughter is able to volunteer too! Can't wait for a morning of mommy and daughter crafts that will hopefully put a smile on someone's face.

We already have our tickets for our upcoming trip, so we're opting for fastpasses. I think when we use my daughter's fastpass, the one she earned, she'll have a great deal of pride in what she did. She will also have the satisfaction of knowing that she gave back.

I was skeptical of this program, but right now I'm so excited about it!

[NancyIL]

My volunteer job is today at Habitat for Humanity's ReStore from 9:30-4:30 - so they're getting a lot of hours out of us!

[KristiMc]

We just dropped off 3 blankets for Project Linus this morning. It was fun working on them the last few days and it was a good experience for my 8 year old to see that the blanket he helped to make is going to kids at our local children's hospital.

They had such a response to this activity that they had to move the drop-off to a larger church to accommodate. There were at least 200 blankets in the room.

[disneynutsss]

If you sign up for a program that can have kids do they each get a voucher too for doing it with me? Or is it just me that would get it?

yes, make sure you put every persons name down so you get the credit for all of them.

[pixiemagic30]

We worked with Hands-On Orlando this morning and really enjoyed the experience. We worked really hard cleaning up a small garden/park area. Others painted a mural and set up a computer lab. It was really cool, we had an opening ceremony with various introductions that included Goofy and the Jamminators! Radio Disney was also on hand piping in music for us to work to! When we signed out, we received our tickets on the spot! Overall, it was an experience that I wanted my kids to have and they are eager to volunteer more often! Yeah!

[yellownovawife]

My 15 year old and I worked at a food bank about an hour away from our home. They would not let my 10 year old daughter come along as it was for 15 and up. It was through an agency called "Humanity First." We met some nice people and even though my daughter and I both do a lot of different volunteer work this was a great experience for us o share together. We are excited to be getting the GAD fastpass to share with my husband and other daughter for two days of our upcoming trip. Now we just have to decide which parks to use them at! We are going in three weeks so I will report back how it goes!

[hockeybabe]

Our family of four just completed our volunteering today. We signed up last Saturday, got an email from the organization on Monday, were scheduled by Wednesday (due to technical errors on the HandsOn site), and went in for our 5 hour shift today, though they let us go after 2 hours. There were two other groups/families there, one group of 4 and one of 2. This was their first weekend, and they weren't prepared for us to be as efficient. They are a thrift store located in Dallas, our family sorted clothes, changed out some shelving and moved some furniture and donations to the staging area. Sorting through clothes, including underwear and socks, was not exactly "fun", but it wasn't as bad as I thought I might be, we all had a great sense of humor about it, as well as being grateful for what we have in life. The other family was cleaning, vaccuming, and dusting, and the other two were working with the clothing racks, making sure everything was hanging up nicely and where it should be. They say they have enough volunteers signed up until April, but we may go back some time later in the year and volunteer again. The organization is a really good one, some of their projects include running a food pantry, several apartment complexes for homeless unhireables, and a program for foster kids who, when they turn 18, get kicked out of the foster care program, so they start with them at 16 to help them learn life skills, as well as offer housing and education for those who aren't established by the time they grow out of the foster care program. They can buy 7 pounds of food for $1, and $.94 of every dollar they get through donations or sales at the store goes to the charity. It's a pretty good cause, and I would have never known about it without Disney, and thanks to Disney, they will get all of the volunteers they need for this year, anyway, and maybe some who will return on their own, like my family.

Looking forward to getting our vouchers for FP's for our upcomng trip, but even without them, it was a good experience. :goodvibes

[5stljayhawks]

Yesterday the SDW and I volunteered for Restore St. Charles www.restorestcharles.org - St. Charles, Missouri and went to the Emmaus House www.emmaushomes.org for a little painting. We were the first volunteers to show up and it was amazing watching a gymnasium fill up. That is right, this was not a small group of people, in fact during the 9 years or so Restore St. Charles has been in operation, the largest group of volunteers assembled was around 60 people and this was through the efforts of two different churches. Yesterday RSC expected about 90 folks, to help on about 8 or 9 locations.

Who ever thought that the House of the Mouse, had the power to change the life’s of so many. I hope Disney continues this program and would remove the restrictions on the tickets.

Thanks to all of those who have or going to volunteer.

[Bearvet]

Our volunteer day is tomorrow! Unfortunately we're expecting a snow storm tonight into tomorrow, so I hope it's not cancelled!

This is an MLK community service day - they expect 600-700 volunteers! It looks like they have a speaker or two and breakfast. Then we choose a project to work on - making fleece blankets, assembling care packages for cancer patients, painting step stools for seniors, etc. This is perfect for my group which ranges from 3 teenage boys to a 70yo woman! This runs from 9am to noon and is held in a middle school.

We're so excited about this opportunity!

[BCBug]

I signed my family up for Project Linus (PL) in the next county, we made our blankets, and my husband dropped them off on Tuesday. We got our vouchers today (Sunday). Here's the magic: we made 5 blankets, 3 of which were "little boy" blankets in fun patterns. I had extra fleece, so I made 3 little matching pillows to go with these boy blankets. I got an email from the PL coordinator Tuesday night saying she had received a call about an hour before my husband dropped off our blankets, asking for help for 3 little boys who had just lost their mother. She took these boys our blankets, she said they just seemed extra special with the matching pillows. So 3 of our blankets went to a good home on the very day we dropped them off. The PL coordinator said sometimes things just work out.

[DisneyWisher]

I signed my family up for Project Linus (PL) in the next county, we made our blankets, and my husband dropped them off on Tuesday. We got our vouchers today (Sunday). Here's the magic: we made 5 blankets, 3 of which were "little boy" blankets in fun patterns. I had extra fleece, so I made 3 little matching pillows to go with these boy blankets. I got an email from the PL coordinator Tuesday night saying she had received a call about an hour before my husband dropped off our blankets, asking for help for 3 little boys who had just lost their mother. She took these boys our blankets, she said they just seemed extra special with the matching pillows. So 3 of our blankets went to a good home on the very day we dropped them off. The PL coordinator said sometimes things just work out.

How wonderful that you must feel, to know that you brought a bright spot to those little boys lives. Well done!

We volunteered yesterday morning, we cleaned up a local beach. WOW there were tons of cigarette butts (told my 16 yr old this is what underage smokers should have to do when caught) after 30 minutes the bag smelled like an ashtray. DD16 went to pick up what she thought was a piece of blue plastic, when I saw it I yelled for her to put it down, it was a man-of-war. There were tons of them along the shoreline. I was very proud of DD16, she willingly got up at 6:30am on a Saturday without any problems (you know how teenagers can be). She even took it upon herself to speak with the coordinator about coming back to volunteer again for her service hours she needs for High School.

[Brer Shay]

We had six to volunteer - DH & I as well as 11, 10, 9, & 6 year olds. We were able to do two different projects to cover us. First was with Project Linus - we made a total of eight blankets (technically 2 each for four of our group, though we all worked together) and dropped them off on Friday, January 15. The other was with our local public television station where my DD6 and I worked on a mailing and answered phones on Wednesday, January 13. We had a wonderful time and, once the GAD GADD activity dies off, will likely be able to go in to help again. The sponsors both certified our activity on Friday and I got our vouchers this morning! My kids don't know yet that this activity had anything to do with Disney. I think we'll tell them about the trip by showing them the vouchers! (They're pretty celebratory for a voucher.)

[Kira G.]

I just went with my family to a MLK neighborhood clean-up, as part of the Ray of Hope Project here in Philadelphia, http://www.rayofhopeproject.org/ . We helped to clean up a playground area in the Frankford neighborhood - we painted out graffiti and spruced up the playground equipment. It was a great experience, very well-organized and with lots of participation (I think there were 70-80 people there of all ages).

I have wanted to do something like this for a long time, and I am really thrilled that Disney put this together. I loved how easy it was for me to connect with volunteer opportunities that welcomed my whole family (I know that we are at an advantage being in a major city). We may not even use our tickets - right now we have no plans to go to Disney this year - so that was really not what it was about for us. In fact, I love the idea of donating the tickets as well.

All in all I am very happy with how this went for my family, and hope to do something like this again soon!

[bobbiwoz]

DH and I helped out with a food drive in Miami Valley. He and I were shift photographers. We went to 5 sites throughout the county taking pictures and chatting with the volunteers who were collecting food. It was very well organized and we told the coordinator that we would be happy to help out at another food drive if they have one.

I am very thankful to have had the opportunity to help.

Bobbi:goodvibes

PS. I love the idea of Project Linus, and have mentioned it to friends who have wondered what they could do.

[Twoboysnmygirl]

We volunteered for King Day making paper flowers and cards to be delivered to residential facilities on Valentines Day. We had a wonderful experience, if you are interested in details, I have pics and more of what we did in my PreTrip Report (link in my siggie)

My hat is off to WDW for starting this program and inspiring people to give of themselves. Once you do it, you only want to do more and more! :lovestruc

[mouselovenfamily]

We shipped our blankets off today. it was a fun project we were able to due with our teens. Our 13 year olds were able to work on it two so it worked out great. I'll let ya know when we get our vouchers. The blankets should arrive to the destination by Thursday.

As we were shopping for our blanket material we were so picky! It was funny how much thought we put in to it knowing we would never really know who gets the blankets! Hopefully they all get good homes!!

[Bearvet]

Well, we did our service day yesterday - just left the house earlier than normal due to the snow. We dropped off our donations, had breakfast (they provided) and checked in at the "Disney" table. Then there was a speaker in the auditorium (about 30 min) then we went into the gym where activites were set up. We worked on tying fleece blankets until they were all done - unfortunately most activities ran out of supplies within an hour. So we didn't even spend as much time working as we thought we would.

I did receive an email from the volunteer organization today saying they would contact Disney to verify that we completed our service. So we'll see how long it take to get the voucher.

I almost feel guilty - like we didn't really do enough to warrant the voucher. But I guess we signed up and showed up, so we did what was asked. So, as far as I can tell, everything went very smoothly.....

[Bearvet]

Received our email with vouchers this AM! It took less than a week!

[MHSweb79]

After completely giving up on getting any GAD opportunity before our trip to see my folks in West Palm the first week of March, I got a call from Habitat for Humanity, which I contacted several weeks ago. (Nobody else has responded and I've been trying since practically January 1.) My folks have resident AP's so if we can bring free admission, it would be fabulous.

Anyway, Habitat's having "a build" (see, I'm getting the lingo already!) just 20 minutes away on Feb. 13. So I signed us all up and I'm pretty excited. We've done a lot of community service, but never Habitat so I'm really looking forward to it. My husband is very handy, and grieving from some pretty terrible losses last year, so I'm kind of hoping he'll get hooked and volunteer for some other weekends too. It would do him good to do good, you know?

Now, since we're in New England, I'm hoping we don't get a snowstorm on that weekend....

[DisMomAmy]

I signed our family up on 1/2/10 to make a donation collection box for Lil' MDGs, an organization here in NH that collects money to purchase things for kids overseas... mosquito nets for AIDS orphans in Africa, backpacks for kids going back to school in Iraq & a bunch of other stuff. We made/decorated a collection box then collected change IN OUR HOME for a week. We submitted pictures of us decorating the box along with our donation check for the money collected just after 1/10 (which was our official volunteering date). I emailed photos & mailed the check on Monday 1/11 and received our vouchers on Thursday 1/14.

This project seemed way too easy, but I was glad that our DS6 could participate - he actually did most of the decorating! Our DS9 has autism and I wasn't even going to attempt to drag him along on a volunteer opportunity so it was great that he was able to participate at home! :goodvibes We made a big deal of talking about why we were doing this & that it was about much more than getting free tickets!

I can't wait to redeem our vouchers - hopefully we won't have any trouble upgrading them to 6 day park hoppers and we can save $300 on our tickets! :banana:

I also can't wait to start reading about people who have visited the World with their vouchers!

[lindsroc]

Are you limited to one free ticket per person for the year? Meaning, if we volunteer for more than one opportunity...would we be able to get 2 tickets each or no? Also, our youngest is 5... I didnt see any opportunities that listed under 6 as being an option, does anyone know of any? We volunteer already, for Boston Terrier Rescue, French Bulldog Rescue, and the March of Dimes so I think this is a great idea that Disney has.

[Fastpaks]

http://img163.imageshack.us/img163/3913/gad.png (http://img163.imageshack.us/i/gad.png/)

We signed up for Project Linus in St Louis. My family as well as my sister's family all participated this afternoon. Our "due" date wasn't until next week. In total, we did 12 blankets (with 2 more to come from another family member). My son (6) insisted on doing his own and did a decent job. Some of the "scraps" were use to tie little bows on the blankets. We had so much fun that we thought about doing this again on our own time some day.

[MissDaisyofTexas]

Hi--I just did my GAD service yesterday. I volunteered at a tournament for kids called Destination Imagination. Has anyone ever heard of this? It was mind-challenges for teams of kids from various schools. We were working for 9 hours total. In the morning the teams were 3rd-5th graders, the afternoon was K-2nd graders. It was hectic and a little disorganized, but I'm glad I did it!

[ic4usj]

DDs and I spent the day painting the waiting room at a local Family Services non-profit. I was there from 10:30am to 6:00 pm. I guess I forgot that painting can be hard work-I am so tired I can't believe it!

It was a great experience for all, though!

[elleherself]

We signed up for a food drive run by the Cross Road Food Bank. Last Tuesday my sister and I collected my goddaughter from school. At around 4 p.m. or so we hit the street with a little rolling fabric shopping cart. The criteria set by the food bank was 20 non-perishable food items per person, we set a group goal of 100. The very first house we went to, my dear next-door neighbor, gave us 40 items alone! My goddaughter is only six and dropped some serious hints about the Girl Scout cookies sitting on his counter, so she got one of those. She was begging for food the whole time, even though I fed her a snack before we left and also gave her peanut butter cups. She also couldn't remember our little spiel, which I thought was simple enough. "Hello, we're collecting food for the Cross Road Food Bank" and then one of us would fill in with non-perishable, cans and sealed items, blah blah blah. She would say "Hello... ummm... we're... ah..."

Despite her lack of sales pitch, it's amazing what curls and missing front teeth will do for you. Not only did we collect more than 100 items for the food bank, but my goddaughter managed to weasel not only Girl Scout cookies but a box of chocolates as well! The giver stipulated that these were for HER. So she thought collecting food was great fun, just like Trick or Treating.

I'm not sure she really understood what we were doing or why, but that's okay, she's six. We finished in about two hours and Friday we dropped it off, took maybe five minutes. The trip is a birthday trip for her and we were planning on doing it anyway, I'm glad we were able to start a foundation of giving for her. This was her first charity project.

[Ulliboo]

My DH, DS and myself worked Saturday at the local food bank. They had a special shift from 12-3 for the Disney program. We had about 20+ people. We "recycled" old bread and other baked goods into the dumpster for half of the shift. Everytime a cake went in, my son let out a loud groan and commented about how that looked perfectly fine to eat ! :lmao: We then packed boxes in the warehouse with canned goods and other staples. We finished early as well. I'm glad we signed up for another shift, as it didn't feel like a lot to get free tickets ! :)

[tiredsigh]

My 11 year old really wants to participate. It has been tough to find anything. A nursing home offered "volunteer opportunities" in a nearby town. They want kids on site for volunteering to be at least 16 but we were offered a special project. Apparently, a resident at the home really likes birds.

Sooooo, we get to build a birdfeeder to take to the resident :cheer2: My kids will love this project!! I'm pretty excited to be able to do a project that the kids will be able to put their time and energy into.

I'll have to share pictures when we are done. The plan is to do it this weekend. We are going to find out in advance if it is for a man or woman. I don't know if an older gentleman wants frilly decorations on his birdfeeder.

I'm just glad the lady running the home thinks of unique opportunities.

[robind]

Hi--I just did my GAD service yesterday. I volunteered at a tournament for kids called Destination Imagination. Has anyone ever heard of this? It was mind-challenges for teams of kids from various schools. We were working for 9 hours total. In the morning the teams were 3rd-5th graders, the afternoon was K-2nd graders. It was hectic and a little disorganized, but I'm glad I did it!

I just signed up for that - what did you have to do as a volunteer?

[Simiesue]

My husband, 10 yr old son and 5 yr. old daughter and I worked at a Food bank yesterday. It was an awesome experience. We collected food from home and family and I also shopped for the items they really needed. We ended up donating 35 pounds of items!! Although my DD is too young to receive the free voucher (min. age was 6) she still had a blast putting all of the items on the shelves. Then we all opened boxes and placed lots more food on the shelves. We were only there for about 1 hour. Afterwards, my kids couldnt stop talking about it.

[Cruella 66]

MissDaisyofTexas: My kids' participate in DI here and they LOVE it!!

Our family did Project Linus. We live in SE VA and there were virtually no opportunities for our 9 and 7 year old. I heard about a chapter in WVA accepting mail in blankets, got in touch and did it!

We just mailed our blankets yesterday. :rotfl:

[patman2011]

hey guys, we are doing the project linus blankets here in san antonio. my DDs and i finished 4 no sew blankets and i am attempting to finish off the 2 quilted variety, something not that easy for someone teaching herself, but i am getting there!!! has anyone had trouble with the website, i have had to re-register twice to have to programme. the project manager has replied to me, but it seems the website with disney is the one with prob. so any ideas?

[mouselovenfamily]

hey guys, we are doing the project linus blankets here in san antonio. my DDs and i finished 4 no sew blankets and i am attempting to finish off the 2 quilted variety, something not that easy for someone teaching herself, but i am getting there!!! has anyone had trouble with the website, i have had to re-register twice to have to programme. the project manager has replied to me, but it seems the website with disney is the one with prob. so any ideas?

We had a similar situation where they said for some reason we were in the system twice. We are verified but unable to print vouchers. We will still get our tickets/fastpasses however, just no voucher.

[december]

I posted this on the "kids" thread, but thought I would repost here since some of you are having the same problems:

We did a book drive for the USO, and mailed our books this week. I got an email from the organizer that she had verified us the next day. I just had to email her a copy of the documentation from the post office and the custom forms, along with pics of us working on the project. I didn't have to wait for the books to make it to Qatar!

There was nothing within an hour of me at all, and the ones an hour away were for 15 and up. My kids are 12 and 10 (plus a 9 month old) and my nephew is 7. I learned about Storytime from the Front Lines on another site. You can find it by searching Norman, IL. There are several others that pop up in that search that can be mailed in, and children can participate (Project Linus, Haiti Care Kits).

You collect 6-8 children's books per person, from an approved list. The books can be new or "gently" used. I teach, and asked my students and coworkers for donations, plus purchased new books. We ended up with 69 books. It cost $40 to mail them all to Qatar. The USO will bring in service men and women and record them reading a book, then send the book and dvd to their kids. I get chill bumps just thinking about it!

There are 5 of us going (plus the baby), so 5 days of fps, plus the thought of 69 kids getting to hear a bedtime story from mom and dad whenever they pop in a dvd!

[mom of princessx2]

We did our volunteer work today and it was a great experience. We signed up to help with set to an event in Louisville (we live across the river)for the Family and Childrens Place. They have a silent auction and food vendors tonight and we had to set up the silent auction tables. We did have to pay $6 parking but they feed us lunch and gave us a t-shirt and set up only took from 10:30-1:00. It was a lot of fun and will be an event my DH and I plan on attending next year.

[cory1965]

We signed up for the Blinky blanket program. A big snowstorm hit our area and we all decided to do our GAD volunteer day at home today.

The whole group met at our home and we were producing those blankets like crazy! Each person had to make 3-4 blankets each. Each person made blankets appropriate for their age group. So the younger ones made blankets for babies and kids, the teens and fathers made blankets for the teenagers and the moms did the cutting. It was such a rewarding experience for all of us! One of the best snow days ever!

[get_us_to_WDW]

My family and extended family all volunteered. Some of us made "Jared Boxes" (boxes stuffed with books, toys, etc.) for a local hospital, some of us made Binky Blankets for homeless children, and some of us are collecting new socks and underwear for an organization that provides one week's worth of clothing to children in need. All of these activities will help kids right here in our own area. The boxes and blankets were finished ahead of schedule and the socks and underwear collection is still in progress. It has been a great experience for everyone. It is just such a great feeling to get involved! We do other volunteering but would never have been aware of these opportunities without the GAD program. It is so good for children to be exposed to volunteering!

[mullii5]

Our family helped clean up a local park this afternoon!! It was pretty chilly but once we started working, we started to warm up. We had a great time!!

[Leajess99]

My kids and I did 2 different volunteer opportunities. For one we made a theme basket to donate for an auction done by Pediatric Therapies and my girls picked out and helped buy the games and puzzles we used in it. It was 99% Disney related and actually turned out cute. The other project was to make craft kits to donate to the Children's hospital. We ended up donating about 50 of those and it was fun putting them together. I do plan on doing more of those throughout the year.

We turned everything in on Monday and today got notice that our vouchers can be printed.

[Mom2PrincessK]

We completed ours today. We donated food and stocked the pantry for our local Ronald McDonald House. We then helped with light housekeeping (sweeping, mopping, vacuuming) and baked muffins for the residents.

We enjoyed it - this was a special project for us to get to participate in, as my daughter born at the Women's & Children's hospital that this House aids and she had to stay in NICU for 5 weeks. Although we did not need to use the house then as we lived close enough to travel, I can certainly sympathize with the families that have babies or children there and they live outside the area.

[jayally]

I have searched online for a volunteer opportunity but nothing ever seemed to work out right. I had applied to help out at a walk a thon but never got a confirmation so after searching for several days I decided for our Disney Give a day our resources and time would be best used to make hygiene kits for the homeless.

http://www.rescuemission.org/

I would have preferred to find an organization in our local community but there was not much that we could all do together, especially since my Son lives with his Dad and is only here every other weekend. I talked to the kids about homelessness and how lucky they are to have everything they need and able to go on lavish vacations (DisneyWorld is considered lavish in my family, especially since I want to stay on site!) and have all the latest gadgets and cool clothes.

I spent a little more than a one day ticket would be buying the supplies at the dollar tree and .99 store and it made me feel good to do this. I found some cute small comb and brush sets in the dollar bin at Target so I bought those too. I knew I needed to get everything packed up because I would just keep buying and buying and soon we would end up being homeless!

Ally and I are driving to Orange County Rescue mission in Tustin, CA on Tuesday after school to deliver our 15 hygiene kits. We were only required to make one per person but I thought that was too cheap and easy so I upped it to 5 kits per person. We might make a stop in Disneyland for a few hours on the way home!

http://i977.photobucket.com/albums/ae251/jayally1968/jayallydonate.jpg

http://i977.photobucket.com/albums/ae251/jayally1968/Allydonate.jpg

http://i977.photobucket.com/albums/ae251/jayally1968/jaydonate.jpg

[Ka' eo]

These are nice stories. I know this is a marketing thing for Disney, but this is a really truly nice thing. What a fantastic incentive to teach kids about giving back.

We made welcoming baby baskets for needy moms and cards for the military. My daughter, age 9, really got into it and she and I did most of the work. She loved shopping/scavenging for items for the baskets. We were able to do our project from home.

We handed them in last Saturday and got our voucher email this morning. :wizard:

[disneynutsss]

me and my son did our "service" on 1/31 and now i have the vouchers printed and ready for my vacation next friday. WHOOO HOO!! cannot wait.

it felt really good shopping for the things that are needed and going to drop them off. it was really nice to see that there were lots of people there donating as well.

[mymainmouse]

I just wanted to put a big "Thank-You" in this thread for all who have volunteered. The organization that my husband directs has had MANY more volunteers because of the Give a Day promo. So many volunteers that the things I usually volunteer for weekly for are filled up until May. :) I guess I am getting a break. :laughing: Some people are driving quite a distance to volunteer. Yesterday a family drove 1 1/2 hours!
Thanks again to everyone who has volunteered in your area! :thumbsup2

[Mikelly1221]

My family and I brought and handed out the snack at our local Boys/Girls Club and we had so much fun! My kids enjoyed playing with the kids. We're going to find a day to go back and do it again!

[Vavy]

We received a call back yesterday from our local Habitat for Humanity. I told them that it would Just be my husband and son(16) because of the minimumage requirement. They asked what I would be doing and I told them I was searching for another opportunity so I can do something with our 8 year old daughter. They agreed to lower the minimum age requirement so she could volunteer there too! So now all four of us get to volunteer at the Habitat Restore together on April 3!

[Halloweenqueen]

We just got back from our GAD experience! We were assigned a few streets in a neighborhood where we dropped off flyers for a food drive. This morning we returned to pick up food left on the porches. Then we took it to the collection center.

What a fun activity for my family. :thumbsup2


The difficult thing was telling my kids that we would be donating our tickets. lol They don't know about our "surprise" trip in August! These fastpasses will really come in handy during the August heat.

Thanks, Disney!

[Melknor]

We also did ours this weekend. I volunteered us to make breakfast casseroles for the Salvation Army to feed the homeless. There was not a requirement of how many to make. One for the three of us didn't seem near enough, so I decided we would each make 2. They go through 125 a week in our area.

Making these reminds us how blessed we are to have a kitchen to cook in, the resources to purchase the ingredients and the family time to prepare them together. Even DS4 who is technically not old enough to participate helped us. Once they are done baking (some are still in the oven), I will freeze them and then drop them off this next week.

I'm very glad that we decided to partake in some activity, even though we don't need the ticket (we are getting the FP option instead).

[itchin2go]

Update on my volunteering: My 8 year old daughter and I signed up to make Valentine's cards for elderly residents at a local rehab and nursing home. We spent several hours there on a Saturday morning. We actually helped some of the residents make cards for their loved ones, and we made additional cards for residents who couldn't/didn't participate. My daughter was SO good with the residents. She was very helpful and sweet, and I was very proud. When we left, she said, "That was actually fun. Can we do that every month?" SO cute. It's exactly a week later and my vouchers are printed and ready to go. The program is 100% successful in my eyes.

[beachgirl2000]

We did our volunteer work today. We went to the Jewish Relief Fund and boxed up food and then delivered it to 14 homes of people that needed the food -- It was a great experience and while it was jammed packed crowded, it was very organized and I would really go back and do it again just to volunteer my time. Very rewarding experience and a great time! :love::hippie:

[Kazzy1548]

:cool1::cool1::cool1:

We have just received our vouchers today. Mailed our blankets last Wednesday. It was very quick.....:goodvibes

[VillageMama]

We did our volunteer project today and it was fantastic! We picked grapefruit for the Society of St. Andrew. They have farmers who donate their left-over crops to be given to food banks. We went out to a citrus farm and worked with about 30 other volunteers to pick the fruits that had not been harvested.

The day was sunny, 60s and clear. It was so much fun to pick the fruit and bag it. My daughters even spent the morning picking fruit with other little girls they met. They've exchanged addresses to be penpals. :goodvibes

We are down here in Florida on vacation but enjoyed ourselves so much that when we get home to Michigan, we are going to get involved with our local branch of the Society of St. Andrew.

What a great group and a wonderful way to spend a morning. My children asked if we could do this every week while we're here. We would have been happy to do this even without the Disney tickets, although we appreciate those, too.

[curemyreed]

We volunteered with an agency that has 14 community gardens where they grow food for those who need it. The garden we worked in was smack dab in the middle of a neighborhood in Houston. Due to the season, there were only a few things growing....cabbage, green onions, mustard greens. The garden had large expanses where there was cardboard with straw/mulch on top as well as plastic sheeting that had been down since late last year. Most of our time was spent gathering up the cardboard and redistributing the straw/mulch as well as bagging up the plastic sheeting. Additionally, we weeded & cleaned the lanes between the rows of soil awaiting spring planting. We started working just after 9 a.m. and wrapped up close to 1 p.m. It was me, DH, DS14, DS12, and DD8. DD was too young to earn a voucher for this project, so she will make Project Linus blankets with Mom.

I have to say that I was the most excited about doing the project, but DH seemed to be the most touched by the experience at day's end. He remarked several times how great it felt to physically labor at something that would benefit others & ended up being the most vocal of us about continuing to volunteer our help in growing nutritious, fresh food for others.

The oldest child was a diligent worker. The younger kids were skittish after their first run-ins with ant beds. All three definitely are city kids...:dance3:...happy to help, but also happy to get back to their non-buggy lives!

The elderly gentleman who is in charge of this community garden was there to direct everyone. What a treat that was! We spent a good while after we were done working the garden just listening to him speak about gardening & the environment. He explained why he believes the best fertilizer is composted leaves & explained in simple terms to us that the root system below the tree we were standing under might be as much as 1 1/2 times bigger than the part of the tree we could see. Then he talked about how the roots would take up minerals from the soil and these would end up within the leaves that the tree grows and how when the leaves come off the tree and break down again they are feeding the soil. He voiced how nitrogen-heavy manufactured fertilizers alter the natural balance of the earth & run into the water system and affect life there. It was just a real privilege to hear this learned man speak.

As for other volunteers...I didn't take a head count, but would estimate that there were 7-8 other families who were specifically there for the GAD project. (This group also has volunteers who are fulfilling required community service hours & I would guess there were a total of 5 folks doing non-GAD service today in the garden.) Everyone there worked hard at what they were doing & you could see a big difference in the garden by the time we were done for the day. It was rewarding to work the soil and also good fellowship to chat with the person next to you.....lots of good Disney tips/ideas being traded!

Hope others will continue to post their experiences. I believe Disney's GAD project will have others volunteering in ways they had never considered before, like we did today, and I feel sure many will continue to volunteer, as we plan to do. :grouphug:

[Priorityonecb]

Our family did our GAD project this morning. We worked sorting books for a new community library they are building. What an amazing feeling it will be to walk into the new library one day knowing we were a part of the "making". We plan to go back to help more when we can!

[JJ&JHsmom]

DD and I did our volunteer work yesterday at a children's museum. They were having a special activity for vacation week here in MA. We really had a great day helping the kids with this activity. We met some other volunteers who were also participating in the Give a Day Get a Day Program. I think this is a great program for places like this who need volunteers at certain times.

[cherokeemamma]

My family did our GAD volunteering today and had a great experience. We helped at an elementary school about an hour and a half away from our home. I believe there were about 200 volunteers ranging in age from 5 or 6 up to older adults. We had the choice to paint or do landscaping. My family chose painting. After lunch my DD and I worked in a clothing closet that the school sponsors...we sorted clothes and organized the space. I will say that some of the younger children were extremely messy with the painting (maybe there should be an age limit on who gets paint rollers...:rolleyes:) and in turn caused more work on the clean up. Some of the kids were so cute with paint all over their face.:eek:

We met one family that would be making their first trip to WDW this year. The mom was single with two kids and they are so excited to be able to go to Disney and were only able to do so because of the GAD promo. :goodvibes

The school had some snacks including pastries, fruit, coffee and juice this morning. They served us lunch which consisted of hamburgers, hot dogs, chicken salad, tuna salad, pasta salad, chips, drinks, and a variety of desserts. :thumbsup2Everything was homemade and they grilled the burgers and hot dogs at the school.

It was very well organized and the principal of the school was thanking us all and seemed so appreciative. It was really a great experience...we came home tired but happy!:woohoo:

[f.chadw]

My family did our volunt"ear" work today. It was definitely hard to find something that would accept my whole family as all 3 of my kids are under 16. We worked in a Thrift Store that raises money for programs for people with metal disabilities. They told us that the work we did helped raise $7000 for their programs. What a good feeling, and a good experience for the kids. Big savings for the trip in December.:banana:

[MickeysFans]

We also stuggled to find something to fit our ages and times, so I ended up signing up in another state to do a home project that we can mail in when we are done. :yay::yay: Good luck

[cherokeemamma]

I agree with you; it was very hard to find something we could do together and and that would be just one day or on a weekend. I checked online early every morning and late each night. I seemed that every time I found something and would click to volunteer it would be fill up before I could submit. It was frustrating and would have loved to have found something close by in my community. I live in metro Atlanta but we had to go 62 miles away from home.

Does anyone know how you sign up an organization to get volunteers? We have a middle school in our area that could certainly use some sprucing up...

[GaPaige]

We just did ours this past Sunday. It was a family event at an agency that helps connect volunteers with projects. Each child had to bring a new Dr. Seuss book to donate. We watched a video about children who are homeless and the woman directing engaged the kids in a frank, but age appropriate discussion on homelessness. We then made and decorated a bunch of bookmarks that we then laminated and put in our donated books. These will be passed out today for Read Across America day (also Dr. Seuss' birthday) at homeless shelters throughout Atlanta.
This event really got my children thinking about homeless children and they want to help more. I am so thankful for GAD because I would never had known this agency existed without them.

[GrumpyFamilyof5]

There wasn't a whole lot to pick from in our area so the whole family wasn't able to do it,DD and I just this past week,along with her 4-H club, helped clean up the fence line along the trails at our local state park. We had fun and helped to keep our state park looking nice!:thumbsup2
We look forward to our next trip, because of this great opportunity we added another day to our trip this summer. I thought I wasn't going to get my Disney fix this year, now I can. Thank-you Disney!!:goodvibes

[Andrea73]

We started our blankets last night. I am not a craft person and this is my 1st time making them. What makes me happy is my 8 year old daughter. She is SO excited about making blankets for other children in need. And she has no CLUE this has anything to do with Disney. The trip is a surprise and she thinks we are doing this simply because children need blankets. I think we may continue to make blankets after GAD. I am inspired by her giving heart. :love:

[babydovesx2]

I have been watching the site for something my girls could do. There has not been any GAD opportunitities in our area that they were able to participate in. I recently found the Haiti Care Kits and realized it would be perfect. My oldest daughter has learned about the earthquake in school and has wanted to help the people of Haiti. Also DH (a US Marine) went to Haiti to help with the relief efforts. He showed us pictures and described the horrible destruction in that country. Our family went shopping on Saturday for the items for the Care Kits and put them together yesterday. My daughters made cards to put in each box (not sure if the cards will go anywhere but at least my daughters were able to express they care). After we finished the Kits we prayed as a family for all the victim of both Haiti and Chili. I did not tell my daughters that we were getting a day at Disney for free becuase I don't want them to feel like they have to get something everytime they give of themselves. It was a very rewarding experience for our entire family.

[DebºoºS]

The Linus Project was a good fit and sort of local. We're making 2 crocheted blankets. I hadn't picked up a crochet hook in 24 years. It took me a few days watching Utube videos to jog my my memory enough to get started. I still need to teach DS how to crochet for his.
Now I remember why I stopped crocheting. It's boring. To keep my sanity I'm riding my stationary bike while watching a movie and crocheting. So far 6 Hornblowers, Mr. Ripley, District 9, Taking Woodstock, Soloist and Pianist and I'm a skein away from finishing.
The goal for today is Seven Pounds & The Burning Plain, 10 miles and a few rows:rotfl:

[polkadotsuitcase]

We couldn't find an appropriate opp in our area, but we found one six hours away. So we turned that activity (a Saturday morning) into a three-day camping trip! We had a complete blast.

We bagged oyster shells to help build a reef for oyster babies to grow on (oysters help filter water and provide food and shelter to other marine life). We learned a TON about the local environment, met a lot of really fabulous families, and smelled like the wharf afterward, LOL.

We've also decided that we're going to try to find local volunteering activities in areas that we vacation in. We already volunteer in our own community, but this was a fantastic way to get some off-the-beaten-path views on places we visit.

We'll most likely end up donating our tix, so it's doing double-duty, I guess!

[pixiedust23]

My BF and I had a great time working at soup kitchen. We were so insprired that we decided we would continue to work at the soup kitchen every month.

[DebºoºS]

Just finished blanket #1 for Project Linus:yay:
http://debspix.smugmug.com/Arts-and-Crafts/Project-Linus/Linus-4099489/805451461_dPXfh-L.jpg

[Eno]

Just returned - did a shift selling raffle tickets for Variety Kids telethon - for sick, handicapped and underprivileged children. Worked steady and ended up doing an extral shift for those who did not show up - very fulfulling and have been placed on the charities volunteer list for other events. What a great program to get people thinking about volunteering !!!!!!!!!!!!

[robind]

I did my volunteer day, today. I worked with Destination Imagination -

http://www.idodi.org/

We were helping out at the regional competition. It's an all day event and they said they had more volunteers than they had ever had. I ended up working the team registration desk for the "instant challenge", so I got to see all the teams come through. They had kids from K - 8, no high school teams this year. I didn't get to see what was happening in the challenges but all the kids seem to come out having had a good time.

It seems like a really cool program for the students, so if you have kids, check it out and get your school involved.

[madancer]

We volunteered at our local food bank. Dh, myself, and two dd, age 7, & 5. We knew we wouldn't earn a ticket for our 5 year old, but it all worked out! The only thing about it was they had volunteers in earlier in the day that got everything done, so our family cleaned and wiped off cans for 4 hours! My husband tore a muscle in his arm from carrying and stacking the very heavy can-filled boxes. I was quite impressed with my 5 year old who I thought did a better job than big sister at times. We have our vouchers! Yay!

[Stitchmistress]

DD and I did our day today at a local cat shelter. There was another Disney family there as well. I should have asked them if they are Disers. What a well run shelter! The day went by quickly as there was lots of cleaning and such to do. There are 150 cats in the shelter! We cleaned 25 litter boxes, and they kept bringing more in! It was a very rewarding experience, and we are likely to do it again. We should get our vouchers soon! ;)

[Lucky'sMom]

We just returned from doing our service at the local International Children's Theater. It's one of those shows that travel from school to school within an area putting on play for small children. It was so great. My family of 7's "work" was: 4 of us passed out the programs and 3 of us collected the tickets at the door. We arrived at 1:00pm, stuffed the programs and were in place at the entrance doors at 1:30pm when they started letting people in. We collected the tickets/passed out the programs, got to enjoy the play, and then passed out coloring pages at 3pm when the show was over. That's it! I almost feel guilty. :goodvibes These couple of hours of service was worth $500 to us ($70+ dollar ticket/ea. X 7 people. Wow! :cool1:

[Cruella 66]

I just read on All Ears that Disney has closed registration!

[DebºoºS]

Yes, they've reached the one million volunteer mark. Great that so many have volunteered so quickly.

[ratfam]

We volunteered with our local Project Linus chapter as it was the only thing that all four family members could do (based on the kids' ages) in our desired volunteer time frame. They wanted no-sew fleece blankers. My ds 11 came with me to pick out the fleece in advance. We made a fun family evening out of it--made a nice dinner and some homemade ice cream, rented a movie (Hurricane Season, we would all recommend) and made our blankets while we watched. I had a done a little prep work ahead of time to ensure we would finish that night. We dropped off our blankets the next morning, and we had our vouchers by email three or four days later. It was a really great family experience, and now I know more about Project Linus, which I had never heard of before. This was all completed a few weeks ago, before the program ended. I'm glad we had the opportunity to do it.

[hereyago]

On Tuesday, DD11 and I helped at the local food bank. Now, I knew the food bank was there and donated at Thanksgiivng during a Mayflower marathon, but until the GAD, I didn't know they did a few different things.

We helped pack bags of non perishable foods for underprivledged kids to have during the weekend. The bags are packed during the week and on fridays, the bags are taken to about 16 different schools in a couple different cities and are destributed.

We were there from 1 until 3 and we did the 3 schools that were listed for that day and the volunteers who came in at 3 could start on the next day's bags. So we did about 140 bags. DD and I plan to keep volunteering there. It was a great experience.

[disneydreamgirl]

DS (11) and I volunteered on March 15 and received our confirmation/voucher e-mail within a week. We had a busy day at the Salvation Army where we organized a storage area, amalgamated and organized school supplies and repackaged items, unloaded a van full of food donations and organized the overflow food stock, stacked and organized donation stands, swept the area, organized Christmas decorations and toys, among other things. We really enjoyed our day together and DS said it was fun. We worked hard and he's the type of kid who likes a task and feels good finishing it. It was good for him to revisit that there are kids and families out there who have very little. All in all a very positive volunteering experience for him, which was really the point. I had investigated volunteering opportunities before GAD came up and it's difficult to find anywhere that allows children under 16 or 18 to participate. I was so happy to see that there were a good few choices for him and that we were able to be productive and complete meaningful work for the agency.

[MylilTink]

On 3/22 I volunteered to make Breakfast for Dinner at a local Ronald McDonald House with a group of other people. Surprisingly, only three of us were part of the GAD volunteer program.

I received my GAD voucher yesterday! I'll probably print another copy just to use in a scrapbook since this will be my first trip to WDW.

[Sneezie]

On 3/20/10, I volunteered with the Baton Rouge Junior Achievement Organization at their annual Bowl-a-Thon checking people in then processing them out. I received my vouchers and promptly stored it in my safe. It's safe and sound and ready for me to take it out in September!

[DaniB]

I registered our family with the Canadian Cancer Society (to sell daffodils) over a month ago. We just completed our volunteer program last night.

We arrived complete with snowpants, hats & mitts as it was already cold and going to be colder once the sun went down. Suprisingly we found the manager of the store had told the volunteers we could sell the flowers inside the store, by the exit. Yayyy!! I worried if our 6 and 10 year olds would be able to stand outside for long. I also worried about dropping money everywhere due to cold fingers.

It was fun! Our daughter asked if we can do it again, so we told the co-ordinator we would definately volunteer next year. Our daughter got an extra kick out of our volunteer opportunity as she remembers (a little) of her grandma fighting breast cancer, and her other grandma passed away almost 2 years ago to cancer.

I have photos but unfortunatly I have to get them developed & scanned. I forgot our digital camera and had to purchase a disposable :rolleyes1

The kids were super cute (especially the 6 year old) asking people "would you like to buy flowers for cancer" and sold a lot!! Since we had the last shift (7-9pm), I did not think we would sell that many. I think it was because of the kids.

[Paticake]

DH and I made Easter baskets for children in foster care, already got our vouchers and today I voluteered at a Women's Health Fair. I know I can only receive 1 voucher so I told the organizer not to worry about putting my name into Disney. I have to say both experiences were very good.

[Hillbeans]

DH and DS 9 just did their GAD today - beach clean-up in Sandy Hook NJ. It was really cold but they made the most of it. DH said there was half a dumpster full of garbage at the end of the event, so that's good.

The e-mail said they had 800 volunteers between today and tomorrow, so I am assuming they had a nice turnout.

[bcarson]

My family and my bff's family are making blankets for project Linus. So we have to do 8. We thought we would get them all done today. But that is a lot of cutting. LOL! We got 4 done and are going to find another day to do the other 4. My bff and I cut, me even my finger, and the kids tied. It was fun.

[OB1]

Wife & I volunteered today - 3/27. We already do a lot of volunteer work, but not this facet. We helped the local parks & rec put on a Bunny Bash for the kids in the area. I was the photographer for photos with the Easter Bunny, and my wife did setup for egg hunt and other activities. It went well, and over 100 kids had a great time. Well worth it, and it got us in the Easter spirit.

[mpbest]

My sister and I went yesterday to Feed the Children. We were set up in an assembly line and filled boxes. We were only there 2 1/2 hours and it went by fast. They had different rooms for different boxes. We were in the hygiene room. Our room did 23 pallets; there are 200 boxes for every 10 pallets. So we filled over 400 boxes, not bad for a couple hours of work. Definitely came out discussing when the kids get older it would be good for them to do.

[runskyhy]

Everyone's stories are so wonderful! This is an awesome thread - Please keep it going! I volunteer regularly with a local mentoring program, but the GADGAD program & HON introduced me to a variety of other volunteer opportunities in my area I never knew existed! My GADGAD volunteer time was with a local thrift shop, Liberty Thrift, and the experience was fantastic! Along with a few other volunteers (some GAD, some not), I was assigned to sort donated clothes on a Friday morning this month. It was not difficult work, and we had such a fantastic time that we even skipped our lunch break so we could give an extra half hour of volunteer time to the organization! This type of enthusiasm is not created from a free theme park ticket - it really is caused by magic! The magic of those who want to help others! These organizations survive and prosper on this magic whether Disney is encouraging it or not. Disney, who has their own form of magic, understands it, and made a wonderful choice to encourage it in us this year! Now it is up to us to keep that magic coming! Thank you to both the volunteers and Disney!

[Vavy]

We did our volunteer work last Saturday (4/3) at the Habitat for Humanity Restore. It was a blast! Talked to the director today and she said that she verified it yesterday - so I am waiting on my vouchers!

We are going to keep volunteering there this summer.

[LadySiren]

Our family of seven did our GAD service yesterday for Meals on Wheels in Alamance County, NC, and we loved it! We're now just waiting for our vouchers. :)

Four of our five kids created handmade cards and baked and bagged cookies to go along with the meals we delivered. When we got to the MoW office, we found that the staff there had crafted Easter bunnies out of old Pringles potato chip cans, so we had a whole bunch of stuff to deliver with our meals.

We had 14 meals to deliver. I drove, DH navigated and did the paperwork, our three princesses were my delivery helpers (giving out cookies, cards, and bunnies), and the two boys were responsible for pulling out the meals and drinks from the carriers in the back of the car. Each of the residents we delivered to seemed SO happy to see the kids and they loved the cards, cookies, and bunnies. The kids loved it and even DH got into it, which was surprising, given how much of a hermit he is. :laughing:

I've done MoW previously but haven't had the ability to do it in some time, due to my work schedule. I was hoping to drive for them on weekends but the don't do weekend deliveries (sigh). I did promise I'd come volunteer whenever I have days off during the week.

[vettegirl]

DH and I volunteered today at a church down the street from our house in their food pantry. We unloaded food and stocked shelves and were there for 2 hours. Great experience!

[dreweyj]

I volunteered at a retirement home for a Mardi Gras party (I know I'm late posting this)! I spent 5 hours helping setup decorations and serving beverages and food to the folks that live there. I earned my voucher already, but even more importantly, because of my experience I observed a great need for volunteers at this retirement home.

As a result of the Give a Day, Get a Day promotion, I am now volunteering once a week at this place. I take my dog there as a kind of "therapy" for the residents since they cannot own pets. They love petting Savannah, an austrailian blue heeler/beagle mix. They also call me now anytime they need additional help with events similar to the Mardi Gras party, such as their Academy Awards, St. Patrick's Day, and Kentucky Derby parties! I really am glad that I gave a day which has now evolved into something so much more. In fact, what's more than the free day I earned is that I gained a sense of accomplishment helping others in need. :yay:

[Vavy]

I really am glad that I gave a day which has now evolved into something so much more. In fact, what's more than the free day I earned is that I gained a sense of accomplishment helping others in need. :yay:

That is FANTASTIC! We had much the same experience working for Habitat for Humanity. We volunteered on 4/3 and we received our vouchers today. The kids will be redeming theirs at the parks (one wants the fast pass and the other wants the Mickey hat/pin set). DH and I donated ors to the Dreams Take Flight organization.

As a result of our "Give a Day" we are signed up to volunteer once a month at the Habitat Restore and the my DH & DS are on the house building team.
:flower3:

[kimgg]

We donated shoes and other things for kids in an orphanage overseas. I also had my sons make cards for the kids. I dropped them off on Monday and got my vouchers today!!!

At first I was disappointed when Disney changed from the b-day to the volunteer program this year, but now I think it was a great thing since so many took part and will continue to volunteer. Great job Disney.

Can't wait to take advantage of the fast pass option over busy star wars weekend in May!:cool1:

[shoes99]

We just returned from our GAD volunteer day. We volunteered at "All Critters Rescue" in Spotswood, NJ, loading and unloading paper towels, vinegar, and pet supplies. It was a beautiful day to be outdoors. We had a great time.

[sissyfromcab]

We just did our GAD today. We helped at a Special Olympics swim meet near Chapel Hill, NC. It was nice because they had so many volunteers, that the parents could sit in the stands and watch instead of doing the jobs we were doing.

[GinnyBear's_mom]

My family volunteered with 3 seperate charities for the GAD promotion. I collected toiletries for the local Ronald McDonald house, then grouped them in gift bags to be placed in the individual bathrooms in their guestrooms. Each bag had shampoo, conditioner, gender neutral deoderant, toothpaste, a toothbrush, soap, lotion, pen, notepad and tissues. They have 20 bathrooms and each one got a gift bag. We also had enough items left over to make at least another 15 complete gift bags (we ran out of bags eventually!)

http://photos-a.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash1/hs434.ash1/24005_1335183951368_1584172280_30781882_657961_a.j pg

My mom and step-dad collected food for a local foodbank and my sister picked up and dropped off supplies for a shelter.

While I was browi=sing through the GAD volunteer opportunities I really wanted to help out with Ronald McDonald charities since we relied on them while DD was in the NICU. But while I was reading through the volunteer opportunities I found out about Project Linus and have made several blankets for our local chapter and I have made it a service project for a club I advise at school :goodvibes

[jerlove]

My family and I Donated our time selling Dafadoils for the Cancer Society. We had a small table set up in the local grocery store and spent a few hours helping to raise money.

We recieved our vouchers a coupld of days ago and are looking forward to using one in December and donating the rest.

[latexscooter]

I'm very lucky to be responsible for community investment at the company I work for. When the Give a Day promotion started many of the charitable organizations I work with were involved and it was pretty much up to me to pick what we were going to do. In the end I picked a local elementary school that needed desperately to update their pre-K courtyard. The area is enclosed with a 70 foot long and 12 foot high concrete wall. It was unpainted and just plain sad. Many of the kids who use the space have disabilities so they can't go out onto the normal playground area due to safety issues.

The principle of the school asked if we could do a mural representing the four seasons. This was a good idea since it would make the wall pretty to look at year round and also provided a visual example of the seasons. We had approximately 25 people lend a hand with the mural over two days most had signed up for the Give a Day promotion. I am fortunate to work with such a great group of people who get out and make a difference every time I ask.

My family of three all participated and we can't wait to use our vouchers in 44 days when we visit WDW. This was just what we needed to get our Disney fix in our final days. Oddly enough this took place 45 days before we left. My husband and I joked this was our final payment for the trip. It was great fun. I love my job!

Here are some pictures of the finished piece.

Spring
http://i117.photobucket.com/albums/o68/latexscooter/IMG_0808.jpg

Summer
http://i117.photobucket.com/albums/o68/latexscooter/IMG_0807.jpg

Fall
http://i117.photobucket.com/albums/o68/latexscooter/IMG_0811.jpg

Winter
http://i117.photobucket.com/albums/o68/latexscooter/IMG_0799.jpg

Panoramic Spring to Winter
http://i117.photobucket.com/albums/o68/latexscooter/IMG_0813.jpg

Pamoramic Winter to Spring
http://i117.photobucket.com/albums/o68/latexscooter/IMG_0812.jpg

[disneydreamgirl]

Wow, latexscooter...that mural is awesome. Loving all the stories and yours was exceptional!

[MouseEarsJenny]

We volunteered through the remote Project Linus activity. Our son is ten and we couldn't find any activities in the area for kids that young. It worked out well for us because my dh just spent 12 days in the hospital, and his room was much more cheerful when we brought blankets and pictures from home. Our kids really understood how the blankets we made would bring cheer to kids who were ill or suffering.

http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h156/JKorin/100_1083.jpg

http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h156/JKorin/100_1091.jpg

It was fun and easy, and we plan to continue volunteering with Project Linus.

[If U Had Wings]

I just did my GAD on Sunday. I volunteered for the Fairy Godmother Initiative (http://fairygodmothers.weebly.com/). It's a local charity that collects donations of prom dresses, and then gives them away to girls who might not be able to afford them otherwise.

There were two other GAD families there and we helped with the set up and break down for the event, and I helped man an accessory table during the event. They held two events and originally I was supposed to work at the first one, but due to a few communication issues I didn't hear anything from them until after the date so I worked at the second event. They had already marked me as a no show for the GAD program, so I probably won't be able to get the ticket because the program has been shut down.

I don't really mind, and am just happy that I was able to help. I knew going into the event over the weekend that I might not be able to get the ticket. I enjoyed being able to help out, and told them to contact me for next year. Hopefully I'll be able to help out in a bigger way.

[Grammy4Lizzy]

I was talking to my DD and she helps out at a charity that helps out seniors and she mentioned that they were out of paper products for their clients. I was going to a meeting of all the supervisors at the bank I work at the next day. I sent out an email and the next day I had over 900 rolls of TP for our seniors.:banana::banana::banana:
Now I am planning on a yearly TP Day.:cheer2:
My DH will be cleaning up senior yards on Saturday. :cool1:
We are going to AK for 5 days and the on the Magic in October so the fastpasses will be very fun.pirate:

[haveitall]

My DH and I did our project at Bundles of Love. they give out about 150 bundles of items to new babies in need. In the bundle are: a quilt, two burp rags, 2 receiving blankets, wash clothes, wash mitt, two sleepers and a bunch of t=other stuff. My DH and I used the snap press machine to put snaps on sleepers and buntings.

I brought home receiving blankets and burp rags to sew. I made over a hundred of each. Took those back and picked up another box. This time it was the same thing. Took those back and have finished 100 burp rags and have a box of receiving blankets to finish. I will keep doing this because I think it is a wonderful cause.

Sylvia

[gw_lit]

Our family volunteered at the Arkansas Foodbank Network. Our boys had a noon dismissal from school one Friday, so we arranged to volunteer that afternoon.

For the first couple of hours we put labels on blank cans. The foodbank will buy canned goods with donations and buy them without the labels applied, they save a significant amount of money by having volunteers label them, box them, and then stack the boxes on pallets.

For the last 90 minutes or so, we straightened and stocked shelves with individual items that were donated.

I was very proud of our boys (8 & 11), they worked hard and it was a great learning experience for them. We are going to go back and volunteer some additional days - I guess that's what the GAD program is all about - getting people hooked up with volunteer opportunites and then continue that spirit of volunteerism. We had an email that our vouchers were available within a week of when we volunteered.

We also hooked my parents up in Texas with a volunteer opportunity for them and they earned their vouchers for our May/June trip.

[disneyfor3]

We did our volunteering on Sunday at the MS Walk in Annapolis, Maryland. We manned one of the rest stops during the walk. It was extremely well-organized and a beautiful day to have a walk. Our DS9 even got pom poms to cheer on the walkers and loved handing out the waters and granola bars. We enjoyed it so much, and I think it was a great opportunity for our son to feel good about volunteering. He's in his third year of cub scouts and loves doing things to help others.

We've already told the director we'd love to help again next year. Got our vouchers this morning. My husband and I are probably going to use ours for fastpasses and our son wants the figurine with pins.

[jodiey]

I just completed my volunteering today. We volunteered to direct traffic at a state park for a 5k walk they were having. The girl in charge said we needed to go to the Disney site and mark it somewhere that we completed our volunteering and then they would contact her to verify that we actually completed it. I can't find anyplace on the website where I would let them know that we completed our volunteering, does anyone know where I need to go to do this or was she mistaken? I just hope she isn't sitting around waiting for someone to contact her when she's supposed to make the initial call. Any info would be greatly appreciated.

[GrumpyFamilyof5]

I just completed my volunteering today. We volunteered to direct traffic at a state park for a 5k walk they were having. The girl in charge said we needed to go to the Disney site and mark it somewhere that we completed our volunteering and then they would contact her to verify that we actually completed it. I can't find anyplace on the website where I would let them know that we completed our volunteering, does anyone know where I need to go to do this or was she mistaken? I just hope she isn't sitting around waiting for someone to contact her when she's supposed to make the initial call. Any info would be greatly appreciated.

uh-oh, I may be mistaken here,but I am pretty sure she is suppose to contact them when you've completed it. My DD and I did work at our local state park and the guy in charge marked us off his list to show we were there,then he said when we were all done he'd fill out the appropriate stuff and when Disney got it we'd get our email saying it was complete. I did get it and have the email to print out our vouchers to get the tickets. You may want to contact her back and tell her she needs to let Disney know the ones that completed their time...

[jodiey]

uh-oh, I may be mistaken here,but I am pretty sure she is suppose to contact them when you've completed it. My DD and I did work at our local state park and the guy in charge marked us off his list to show we were there,then he said when we were all done he'd fill out the appropriate stuff and when Disney got it we'd get our email saying it was complete. I did get it and have the email to print out our vouchers to get the tickets. You may want to contact her back and tell her she needs to let Disney know the ones that completed their time...

That's what I thought, thanks so much.

[mouselovenfamily]

Well I thought I would update on our status. We did Project Linus in January or February. There we 8 of us and we were told our blankets were part of a huge effort sent to Haiti after the earthquake.

Today my DD17 is at Disneyland and got her free one day ticket. We go to WDW alot so this is her first visit to DL.

We were unable to print our vouchers due to a system glitch but she had no problem getting her ticket. She was verified with ID in the computer and right now she is there, hopefully having a wonderful time!!

The rest of us will be using our GAD for fast passes in WDW for our OCT trip. I hope every one is having a wonderful experience with this GAD program and thanks to Disney for a great opportunity!

[cyb]

I signed up for the GAD ASAP and volunteered mid January (the coldest day of the year here in Florida) the temperature that day was barely above freezing, at an animal rescue the following week I was at Disney enjoying a day for free, temps that day were in the mid 70's,:yay: it was awsome, it was one of my favorite trips!

[Minnie J]

I loved my experience. The kids were great!! And we had a easter egg hunt!! I would do it again and I printed my voucher that next week!! Woot