VoluntEARS is a charitable organization made up of Disney cast members who donate their time to helping charities and service organizations in their communities around the world. It is part of the Disney Worldwide Outreach Program.
In 1983 at Disneyland, because cast members wanted to give something back to the local Orange County, California area, Disney formed the "Disneyland Community Action Team" (DCAT). DCAT became involved with the Special Olympics, the Orangewood Children's Home, and other local charities. The corporate-wide VoluntEARS program was created from this initiative in 1992.
In 2002, Disney established "EARS to You," a program that makes donations to charities based on an employee's VoluntEARS participation in that charity.
Giving
In 2006, the VoluntEARS program at the Walt Disney World Resort donated more than $22 million to Central Florida organizations and charities, along with 200,000 hours of service.[1]
In 2005, the program provided more than 442,000 hours of service and US$190 million to charities and services around the world.[2]
Encyclopedia
top
