Disney Gives Make-A-Wish Kids Chance To Pre-Screen Upcoming Film at Home
Today, Disney Channel and Make-A-Wish foundation announced that they have teamed up to provide 9 wish kids with a special surprise. This comes after the news that Give Kids the World Village in Orlando where kids stay during their wish vacations will remain closed indefinitely due to the COVID-19 crisis.
According to piece on Disney Parks Blog, select fans were able to pre-screen the upcoming Disney Channel Original Movie “Upside-Down Magic” before the world premiere on July 31, 2020! As if that wasn’t awesome enough, after the screening, two of the movies stars Siena Agudong and Izabela Rose surprised fans with a video chat where they were able to talk about the film!
Check out a video showing the fun encounters!:
Check out the full video in DisneyNOW for all the amazing reactions to the ultimate surprise! Also, be sure to set those DVR’s as “Upside-Down Magic” premieres Friday, July 31 at 8 p.m. on Disney Channel and will be available in DisneyNOW beginning Saturday, August 1.
For 40 years The Walt Disney Company has partnered up with the Make-A-Wish to grant more than 140,000 for kids with critical illnesses. However, according to a recent piece on FOX35, the future of the Give Kids the World Village still remains uncertain. Since March wish children have had their theme park wishes on hold.
For those unfamiliar, Give Kids The World Village is a nonprofit resort in Kissimmee. It partners with the major Orlando theme parks including Disney, Universal, SeaWorld and organizations like Make-A-Wish. Village operations were halted back in March to ensure the health and safety of Wish Families and in June, Make-A-Wish postponed all wishes involving travel or large gatherings. Jamie Sandys, a spokesperson for the foundation said, “Make-A-Wish has not made any decisions as to when the currently postponed wish types will be safe to resume granting, but remain committed to delivering hope and joy to children with critical illnesses.” Sandys explained that Make-A-Wish continues to work with long-term partners, such as Disney, to “bring some magic at home for children waiting for wishes.”
As a result and due to the suspension of travel by wish-granting organizations, GKTW had to make the decision to close until further notice and laid off 85% of staff which amounted to approximately 171 workers. This has also had a massive impact on the over 700 children waiting each month for wishes. According to the piece in FOX35, the staff that remains at the Village are committed to keeping kids spirits by sending postcards, birthday cards and care packages with toys and games.
According to Make-A-Wish and the Give Kids The World Village, once travel and theme parks open fully again, the 700 wishes waiting each month will be added to the queue of regularly scheduled wishes. Landworth said, “For many of these families, looking ahead to their wish brings hope during extremely dark and trying times,” said Landwirth, “a week at the Village is focused on family time, where they can leave the worries of illness behind and enjoy the childlike wonder that our storybook Village and the theme parks create.”
In the meantime you can find out how to contribute by visiting the Make-A-Wish website here wish.org.
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Source: Fox35