PASADENA, Calif.- As part of Disney’s commitment to volunteering and community outreach, Chairman and CEO, Michael Eisner and President and COO Robert Iger will lead a team of 15 executives representing Disney’s television, cable, studios, parks and resorts and consumer products affiliates, who today will offer their support to Union Station Foundation, the San Gabriel Valley’s largest homeless shelter and social service provider. Disney executives will present a $10,000 donation to Union Station Foundation for their programs and services and will volunteer their time in Union Station’s food bank, which serves nearly 125,000 meals annually.
This event is part of the 10-year-old Disney VoluntEARS program, which involves more than 20,000 Disney employees who last year participated in more than 1,000 projects and programs and contributed more than 350,000 community service hours, filling more than 80,000 volunteer opportunities. The VoluntEARS program upholds Disney’s mission to provide money and resources to help those less fortunate, raise awareness for outreach programs and get people involved in with non-profit organizations and events. Last year, The Walt Disney Company established EARS to You, a “dollars for do-ers” program in which Disney makes financial contributions to charities based on an employee’s involvement and time commitment.
“Helping fellow human beings in their time of need is one of the noblest things anyone can do, and given the state of the economy, such efforts are even more precious and necessary now,” Eisner said. “For decades, Disney has enabled and encouraged its employees to get involved in their communities as volunteers. Consistent with Disney’s commitment, Union Station Foundation has for years conducted that same kind of exemplary work in its community, and, like our employees, serves as an inspiration to others.”
Union Station’s Executive Director Rabbi Marvin Gross said, “We are so pleased to have the Disney executives give their time to our clients. These folks lead very busy and demanding professional lives and it means a great deal to our clients and staff to see them hard at work feeding the homeless and hungry. We really believe that this experience is positive for everyone and hope other companies will follow Disney’s lead in developing group volunteer activities for their executives and other employees.”
The Disney VoluntEARS program is administered by DisneyHand, the worldwide outreach program for The Walt Disney Company. DisneyHand is dedicated to making the dreams of families and children a reality through public service initiatives, community outreach and volunteerism in the areas of learning, compassion, the arts and the environment. The Walt Disney Company, together 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.
Union Station Foundation is a community-based, non-denominational, non-profit social service agency that has provided shelter to the homeless and meals to the hungry since 1973. It is the San Gabriel Valley’s largest agency serving the poor and homeless, providing more than 124,000 meals and nearly 21,000 nights of shelter per year. Its supportive services include transitional housing, case management services, community healthcare, substance abuse recovery services, 12-step meetings, career development and job placement, legal assistance and special programs for homeless families. Later this year, Union Station will open its Family Center, a new Pasadena facility that will provide 45 beds and intensive social services for homeless families. More than 70% of Union Station clients have found stable housing after their stay with the agency.
For further information about Union Station’s programs and services, please visit their website at www.unionstationfoundation.org or call 626/449-4596.