BURBANK, Calif., April 17, 2003 – Disney is once again calling all kids to volunteer in their communities and vie for the chance to become Disney Adventures All-Stars. This national effort to encourage youth volunteerism was introduced for the first time last year and is supported by Disney Adventures magazine, Disney Channel, Radio Disney, Disney Online and DisneyHand, the worldwide outreach program for The Walt Disney Company.
This year, Disney Adventures All-Stars will win $1,000 to donate to the charity of their choice and a trip to California to meet the cast of the Disney Channel’s “That’s So Raven.” The winners and their projects will be featured in the May 2004 issue of Disney Adventures.
“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.”
The Disney Adventures All-Stars Program is open to anyone age 6 to 14 who volunteers by either joining an existing organization or inventing his or her own project. Participants can enter in one of two categories: Kid All-Star, for individual volunteers, and Team All-Star, for groups of two to six people who complete a project together.
Disney Adventures provides a plan of action for the participants, including suggestions for how to get started, possible projects to complete or organizations to work with, and a step-by-step six-month calendar. The Points of Light Foundation and Volunteer Center National Network facilitates the judging process and monitors the validity of the finalists’ projects. Winners will be chosen from both categories based on an essay describing the problem they tried to solve, what activity they became involved with and their definition of volunteerism.
Children can register for the Disney Adventures All-Stars program by picking up a copy of the May 2003 issue ofDisney Adventures, on newsstands April 29, or by logging on to www.disney.com/allstars. Each registered All-Starwill receive a T-shirt for showing their character.
The magazine recently announced an 11-year old Minnesota girl and a team of Texas youth as its 2002 Disney Adventures All-Stars.
Lilia Walther of Albert Lea, Minn. and Xochilth Roman, 13, Israel Araujo, 13, Nayelli Pizana, 12, Claudio Castillo, 13, Erica Garcia, 13, and Rogelio Garduza, 13, of Brownsville, Texas were chosen from more than 3,000 applicants to receive $1000 for the organization of their choice and a trip to California to meet and participate in a volunteer project with the cast of the hit Disney Channel show, “Lizzie McGuire.” They and their projects will also be featured in the May 2003 issue of Disney Adventures, on newsstands April 29.
Walther became an All-Star by securing $12,000 to replace playground equipment for her neighborhood park. She petitioned neighbors, collected pop cans to redeem for cash, and gained the support of a city councilman to complete her project. The Brownsville team won their All-Star status with “Watch Out for That Car,” a plan to address traffic issues at their school. The group took surveys, contacted the local police department to monitor student concerns and gained media attention to draw support for their goals. Renovations to improve street safety at their school are now in the works, due to their efforts. The school has, for example, installed a ramp for handicapped students.
Disney Adventures is a magazine for kids ages six to12 with a circulation of 1.2 million and a readership of six million. It is the 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 side-splitting comics, Disney Adventures empowers kids, engages their imagination and ignites their creativity.
Disney Channel recently announced it has ordered a second season of its newest hit, “That’s So Raven” starring Raven (“The Cosby Show,” “Dr. Dolittle”) as a teen who can see glimpses of the future, but not always what’s happening in the present. In the first quarter 2003, “That’s So Raven” was Disney Channel’s second highest rated series among Kids 6-11 (4.7/860,000) and Tweens 9-14 (4.3/803,000), trailing only “Lizzie McGuire.” It was also the top-rated Disney Channel series (average of all plays) with Boys 6-11 (2.9/282,000). The hit series also airs internationally on Disney Channels in the United Kingdom, Australia, France, Germany, Italy and Asia. Later this year, it is scheduled to launch on Disney Channels in Latin America, Taiwan, Spain and Portugal.
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. DisneyHand also administers the Disney VoluntEARS program, which develops opportunities for employees to contribute their personal time, expertise and effort to make a positive impact on the community. Since its inception in 1992, Disney VoluntEARS have served more than 200 cities, 47 states and 24 countries.
The Walt Disney Company, with its subsidiaries and affiliates, is a diversified, international family entertainment and media enterprise including 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.