(May 27, 2009 – Hong Kong)
Disney VoluntEARS today joined a group of children with disabilities from TREATS, a non-profit organization and one of the recipients of the Disney Children’s Fund in 2008, at a special performance for the elderly to celebrate the Dragon Boat Festival. At the event, Hong Kong Disneyland Resort’s Managing Director Andrew Kam announced that the Disney Children’s Fund will be accepting applications for a second year from June 1 onwards.
The Disney’s Children Fund was launched last year in Hong Kong by The Walt Disney Company and donated HK$1 million by sponsoring NGO projects that encourage children’s learning, develop their personalities and enhance family relationships. Last year, a panel of judges invited by Hong Kong Disneyland Resort recommended seven recipients for the fund, TREATS being one of them. Their program, “Circus for All” was aimed at helping children with disabilities boost their confidence, improve their interpersonal skills and adapt more easily into society.
The children from TREATS, who were trained as part of the “Circus for All’ project, joined Disney VoluntEARS to perform their juggling tricks at a home for the elderly in Tsuen Wan. Hong Kong Disneyland Resort Managing Director Andrew Kam also made an appearance in the show, debuting his performance skills. The audience gave the children, the Disney VoluntEARS and Andrew a resounding round of applause. And the afternoon ended on a high note with the arrival of Mickey Mouse who along with the VoluntEARS and the children handed out rice dumplings.
Kam said, “At Hong Kong Disneyland Resort, we believe that all children should be blessed with happiness. This year, I joined the Disney VoluntEARS to take part in the wonderful activities organized by recipients of the Disney Children’s Fund. The ‘Circus for All’ project that was showcased today helped children with disabilities to learn and by doing so, helped them grow in confidence. Other Fund projects helped children, such as those from minority groups, adapt more easily to Hong Kong’s culture and made some dreams come true for less fortunate children.
Very shortly, Hong Kong Disneyland will welcome applications for the second year of the Disney Children’s Fund. We are looking forward to receiving more creative and meaningful proposals that can really bring joy to the children of Hong Kong.”
The second Disney Children’s Fund is inviting applications from June 1 to July 6.
