volunteering at GKTW

[Pooh2]

We will be in the Orlando area for a few days this summer and were wondering how we would go about volunteering one morning.

We have a specific day free, are volunteers welcome at any time?

I assume we would fill out paper work before the trip so they know who is coming?

Do they charge for a background check? Do we need references from other volunteer jobs?

Are there any good blogs out there with first hand accounts of volunteer experience?

Any tips or shared experiences would be appreciated! Thanks!

 

[SorcererHeidi]

We will be in the Orlando area for a few days this summer and were wondering how we would go about volunteering one morning.

We have a specific day free, are volunteers welcome at any time?

I assume we would fill out paper work before the trip so they know who is coming?

Do they charge for a background check? Do we need references from other volunteer jobs?

Are there any good blogs out there with first hand accounts of volunteer experience?

Any tips or shared experiences would be appreciated! Thanks!

@Pooh2 - There is an awesome thread at the top of this forum, filled with all kinds of great info. I would just ensure that all of the info (some is older) is still current, and I would assume you can/would do that directly with the Village.

I have not been privileged enough to be able to volunteer (yet), but I would definitely re-read this whole thread if I intended to! Enjoy your time, I hear it is transformative - for the volunteers, AND the families! I know it gives me good chills every time I do something to support them financially, until I can do so in person.

https://www.disboards.com/threads/volunteering-at-give-kids-the-world-a-primer.2729866/

 

[disneysteve]

As Heidi said, read the thread on this topic.

Make sure to do your background checks as soon as you can. They do process them much faster now than they used to but it's still best to get them done in advance. Also, the sooner you are approved, the sooner you can pick your shift and have more options for which jobs you can choose from.

We've been there a few times and have done various things: driving the tram, operating the carousel, working with the photographer, working in the cafeteria, doing food delivery to the villas, working in the star tower, etc. It's all great and for such a wonderful cause. We hope that one day we can move down there and be able to volunteer on a regular basis instead of just once a year like we do now.

 

[Pooh2]

Thanks!
We are about 6 weeks out so will try to get the ball rolling on things tonight.
Heading to read through the above mentioned thread.

 

[Alicenwonderment]

It has been a long time since I volunteered at the village. I did it once as a college programmer and on my advanced internship I was a core volunteer (over 100 hours at the village from Jan-June) on my advanced internship. The first time the college kids were assigned a family to be with while the parents were given a night out to eat. We would have the kids play in the castle and then we would take them to the Gingerbread House for dinner. After dinner we would take the kids to the castle. There was usually a play or show on the stage that we would watch. Then we would take the kids for ice cream. (My favorite part) Last we would let the kids play at the castle or at Amberville. The parents needed to be back to get the kids at 9pm. My advanced internship there were a few of us core volunteers that helped run Parents Night Out. It happened on Sundays and Thursday nights. (I heard they discontinued Parents Night Out because parents weren't coming back on time. ) I also worked shifts at the merry-go-round and my favorite was being a lead for the mayor for tuck ins. Parents can sign their children up for tuck ins. The Mayor will play with the children and tuck the kids into their beds. It is a lot of fun. I got to drive the car to each place the families stay at. I don't remember having to do background checks but since we were Disney voluntears (get it?) they probably got our information from Disney. Another thing to know is that you must be 12 or older to volunteer. I enjoyed getting to know the families and see the children being happy. If given the choice I would volunteer at the village over going to the parks. It has been years (2000) since I have been to the village but it has always been close to my heart and support the village every chance I get.