Disney Gifts a Special Field Day to Students Impacted by the California Wildfires

In the aftermath of the devastating wildfires that ravaged California earlier this year, The Walt Disney Company has stepped up its efforts to help Cast Members, employees, and the community at large recover.

As the Palisades, Eaton, and Hurst fires burned, Disney CEO Bob Iger took to social media and pledged that Disney would do all it could to help rebuild.

“The Walt Disney Company is committed to supporting our community and our employees as we all work together to recover and rebuild from this unbelievable devastation,” Iger said.

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“Walt Disney came to Los Angeles with little more than his limitless imagination, and it was here that he chose to make his home, pursue his dreams, and create extraordinary storytelling that means so much to so many people around the world. We are proud to provide assistance to this resilient and vibrant community in this moment of need.”

Through a $15 million donation and numerous giving initiatives, Disney has been true to its word. Earlier this week, however, the company showed that it had some more magic up its sleeve.

A Disney Field Day

Over 900 students at Brentwood Science Magnet and Nora Sterry Elementary School were treated to a “Disney Field Day!” this week, which featured over 16 popular Disney characters, activities, games, gift bags, giveaways, and more.

For those who don’t know, these schools have taken in students who were displaced by the Palisades wildfires of Los Angeles. 

Credit: Photo by Ringo H W Chiu/AP/REX/Shutterstock

The Disney Field Day, then, was a fun way for the children to take their minds off things and heal.

“It’s all about joy, magic, it’s about bringing comfort to kids whose lives have been so, so uprooted,” Los Angeles Unified School District Superintendent Alberto Carvalho told ABC7. Disney had reached out to Carvalho earlier this year to ask how to help.

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“We’re still pretty broken, but this is so amazing,” added Juliet Heman. “These are the moments that heal us. All I want is for this community to come together and find a bright light in this moment of such difficulty.”

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“Disney has called Los Angeles home for more than a hundred years, and while the fires were still raging, we made a commitment — to be there for the community as it recovers and begins to rebuild,” Lisa Haines, SVP of Corporate Social Responsibility, The Walt Disney Company, said. “That’s really what today is all about and we couldn’t be more excited to be here.”

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Cast Member John Breckow, Director of Corporate Citizenship, Disney Experiences, knew the students were expecting something special, but added, “I’m not sure they knew how MUCH fun they were about to have.” 

Some of the visiting characters included Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Moana, Rey, and lots more. 

Dara Renee and Josh Colley from Descendants: The Rise of Red and Meg Donnelly and Trevor Tordjman from  Zombies also visited the students!

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“Our main goal,” as told by Cast Member John Breckow, “was to bring a little joy, happiness and some hope to these students who have shown so much resilience and been through so much this year And not just the Palisades students who relocated, but the Brentwood students who so generously received them at their schools.”

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Disney also gave special gifts to a student and a teacher who lost items in the fires.

Pre-K teacher Ms. Lam, who lost a collection of ear hats and headbands in the fire, was given a gift of a whopping 51 hats for her classroom. 

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A student at Brentwood Science Magnet, Felicity, lost her favorite plush tiger in the fire. In addition to gifting Felicity a new tiger plush, Tigger also made an appearance with a 100-acre wood scene!

Breckow said, “The smile on her face in that moment is why I work at Disney.”

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About 75 VoluntEARS helped make this event happen, with assistance from stuffing gift bags to helping the students maneuver around Disney Field Day.

“Volunteering is really in our DNA at Disney. We simply couldn’t create magical moments like these without the energy, positivity, and commitment of our employees and Cast Members,” said Breckow. 

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You can learn more about Disney’s school surprise and hear from the students themselves at ABC7.com.

Disney has given a monetary donation to the Pasadena Educational Foundation and is currently having conversations with Pasadena Unified School District to possibly bring experiences like this to those affected by the Eaton Fire.