Sharing Pixie Dust!

[HappyCamper519]

I'm excited to share how our upcoming family WDW trip has changed for the better...

My son has a friend that recently moved out of state. The circumstances for this move were catastrophic. Without going into too many (private) details, the family lost everything - their home, belongings, etc. - mom and children are now living out of state with relatives.

The move was needed, not wanted. My son's friend was devastated. He is 15 and VERY VERY shy. The night before he left, the boy pulled my son aside and expresed how much their friednship meant to him. They promised to keep in touch through email, but both were sure that it would be a very long time (if ever) that they would get to hang out again...

Well, my DH and I decided that we MUST get this young man to WDW for some much-needed magic and time to be with our son. We are not wealthy, by any means, but we were able to scrounge up enough to get rt airfare to MCO during our FW stay this Christmas!

Here's the magical part...

We assumed we could work out a plan for 2 day park passes with a friend of a friend who works at WDW. Unfortunately, the guest pass thing is blacked out for the holidays.

Knowing we don't have the reserves to swing passes too, I decided to turn to my school for help. (I was also this boy's MS teacher) Anyway, I sent a very basic email to staff. NO information in the message other than "help bring magic to a former student"...

Within 3 hours, the donation jar total was at $200!!!! By the end of the day, there was $250!!! (that's enough for 2 days AND spending $$) TALK ABOUT MAGIC!!!!

So, my DS will spend 3 days camping with his pal in FW with two days of park hopping together!

The "magic" we have experienced before this trip is overwhelming!!!
Just thought I'd share it with all of you....

 

[pamickey]

What a wonderful thing to do - this trip will be a great memory for your son and his friend. I'm not surprised that your fellow staff members stepped up to help out - I also work in education and we have a very generous staff when it comes to supporting anything for kids.

Have an awesome trip and I hope that your son and his friend wll find that this temporary time together will help to forge a long-lasting friendship as they move on to college and beyond.

Terri

 

[HappyCamper519]

I forgot to mentioned an added bonus...
(the whole reason I put this on the campin' thread!)

My son's pal has NEVER gone camping!! (My son has already pulled out our tent for the two of 'em to camp alongside our camper )

What an awesome place to experience his first campout...FW!!!!

 

[suevr]

How wonderful! You'll all have a great time!!!

 

[doombuqqy]

What a blessing, I hope you have a magical trip

 

[rebelstand]

How wonderful for you all! Thanks for sharing your story...now I'll just got get me a kleenex for my eyes.....

 

[Lil' Lisa]

.

 

[Millermouseketeers]

What a wonderful gift for your son's friend! God Bless you for doing this.

 

[skyp4WDW]

Merry Christmas! God bless you all; and have a great time.

 

[disney4dan]

I am so glad you were able to do this for him. Talk about a great Christmas lesson your son has learned.

 

[HappyCamper519]

I am so glad you were able to do this for him. Talk about a great Christmas lesson your son has learned.

The WHOLE family has learned from this...

1) Christmas is not about what you get, but what you give.

2) You don't need to be wealthy to help someone in need...just willing.

3) When you think you're at your worst moment in life, it may just be someone else's best.

4) Disney magic is the greatest when shared!!

PS: A teacher from another school stopped me at a workshop today with a donation! No reason needed... She just heard that a student was down and out and in need of some "holiday magic". (I cried when she handed me $ wrapped in a post-it note that read "Disney Fund XOXOXO")

 

[CCIntrigue]

How wonderful!

 

[Lil' Lisa]

.

 

[polkadotsuitcase]

LOVE it! Hope lots of pixie dust continues to sprinkle down on all of you!

 

[storyteller]

disney magic stricks again.... awesome story, see ya all there..

 

[Bearikens]

What an awesome and truly touching story. This is a prime example of the true meaning of Christmas. Bless you.

My DW and I took our god-daughter to WDW in 2006. Her family was having difficulties and we knew they wouldn't be able to afford to take her. Needless to say, the trip was very special for her. I made sure that I took lots of photos and videos which I loaded onto a CD (I didn't have a DVD recorder back then) so she could refresh the memories whenever she wanted. She had a LOT of jealous classmates! You might want to do something similar for both your DS and his friend.

 

[DebbieT11]

You've had more magic than many will ever experience, and you shared it - that's the BEST!!! Enjoy!!

 

[HappyCamper519]

What an awesome and truly touching story. This is a prime example of the true meaning of Christmas. Bless you.

My DW and I took our god-daughter to WDW in 2006. Her family was having difficulties and we knew they wouldn't be able to afford to take her. Needless to say, the trip was very special for her. I made sure that I took lots of photos and videos which I loaded onto a CD (I didn't have a DVD recorder back then) so she could refresh the memories whenever she wanted. She had a LOT of jealous classmates! You might want to do something similar for both your DS and his friend.

What a great idea! I haven't put much thought into the after part. You're right, my son's friend would probably benefit from reliving the magic through photos. I think I might buy an album for my son and see if he'd like to put one together when we get home to send to his pal. Maybe jot notes in it about funny moments? Or memorable events? (Not sure how far the journaling would go...my son is just as "reserved" as his friend...not many words spoken, but a whole lotta heart! )
Thanks for the inspiration! Your God-daughter is lucky to have such a caring God-parent. I hope her family situation has improved...