Burbank, Calif. – (April 22, 2002) — Disney is calling all kids to become All-Stars, by joining the Disney Adventures All-Stars Program. The program encourages kids to show their character by participating in volunteer activities. Kicking off in May 2002, the program will give All-Stars the opportunity to register as an individual or group when they take part in or create volunteer projects. Disney Adventures Magazine, Disney Channel, Radio Disney and Disney Onlinewill support this effort. Disney created the All-Stars Program to inspire volunteerism and recognize kids who help their communities. DisneyHand, the worldwide outreach program for The Walt Disney Company and administrator of Disney VoluntEARS, is supporting the All-Stars effort.
The Disney Adventures All-StarsProgram is open to any child, 6 to 14-years-old, who completes a volunteer project by either joining an existing organization or inventing his or her own project. Kids are eligible to enter in two categories: Kid All-Star, for an individual who volunteers on his/her own and Team All-Star, a group of 2-6 people who complete a project together.
Winners will receive $1,000 for the organization of their choice and a trip to California to meet, and participate in a volunteer project with, the cast of Disney Channel’s most popular show, Lizzie McGuire. Participants must complete their projects and submit a 200-300-word project description to Disney Adventures by Oct. 1, 2002. Winners and their projects will be featured in the May 2003 Disney Adventures Magazine.
“The Disney Adventures All-Stars Program is a perfect way to motivate kids and show them the hands-on rewards of helping others,” said Suzanne Harper, editor in chief of Disney Adventures.“Our magazine is designed to entertain and inspire our readers as they grow up. We hope that this program will encourage them to help others and become more involved with their communities.”
Disney Adventureswill provide a plan of action for kids, with suggestions for how to get started, suggested projects and local organizations, and a step-by-step calendar through six months. Winners will be chosen from both the Kid All-Star and Team All-Star categories based on an essay describing the problem they tried to solve, what activity they became involved in, and what volunteering meant to them.
Children can register for the Disney Adventures All-Stars Program by picking up a copy of the May 2002 issue of Disney Adventures (on stands April 23), by calling 1-800-Volunteer or by logging onto www.disney.com/allstars. Each registered All-Star will receive a T-shirt to prove they showed their character.
Disney Adventures is the top-ranked magazine for kids ages 6-12 with a circulation of 1.1 million and 6 million readers monthly. It gives the reader an essential guide to the hottest, hippest, coolest, gotta-have-it-stuff from the world of movies, TV, music, video games, comics, sports, and more. Through exciting stories, interactive games, mind-twisting puzzles and sidesplitting comics, Disney Adventures (www.DisneyAdventures.com) empowers kids, engages their imagination and ignites their creativity.
Disney Channel’s Lizzie McGuirefollows the adventures of Lizzie McGuire, a normal 13-year-old surviving adolescence with her animated alter ego. On the exterior, Lizzie is a young teenager navigating the turbulent years of junior high. That means coping with the ever-changing cliques at school, keeping up with what’s in and what’s out, as well as dealing with a well-meaning mom that is anxious to make her transition into womanhood as smooth as possible. Sassy, sarcastic and sensible, Lizzie’s animated self is one part guardian angel and one part mischief-maker. Lizzie’s conscience does things most of us only dream of which includes swooning over the cutest boy in school and blowing up (literally) when her mom decides she should miss the party of the year.
DisneyHand, the worldwide outreach program for The Walt Disney Company, is dedicated to making the dreams of families and children a reality through focused public service initiatives, community outreach and volunteerism in areas such as learning, compassion, the arts and the environment, and administers the Disney VoluntEARS program. Since its inception in 1992, the Disney VoluntEARS program, which develops opportunities for Disney employees to contribute their personal time, expertise and effort to make a positive impact on the community, has served more than 200 cities, 47 states, and 24 countries on six continents.
The Walt Disney Company, with its subsidiaries and affiliates, is a diversified, international family entertainment and media enterprise which includes Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, The Walt Disney Studios, ABC, Inc., ESPN, Disney Channel, Disney Stores, television and radio stations and Internet web sites. For more information on Disney’s corporate public service efforts, please visit our Web site at www.disneyhand.com.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Magazines are available upon request