Disney Parks, Volunteer Canada and The Toronto Zoo Look to Inspire New
Volunteers During Disney Parks "Give a Day, Get a Disney Day" Program

TORONTO , Sept. 29 /CNW/ - In celebration of the first-of-its-kind Disney Parks' campaign, "Give a Day, Get a Disney Day", volunteers joined forces to lend a hand at The Toronto Zoo within the area of Education and Conservation.

Beginning January 1, 2010 Disney Parks will commemorate the volunteer spirit with a free one-day admission ticket to a Walt Disney World Resort in Florida or Disneyland Resort in California theme park to the first 1 million people who volunteer a day of their time. Volunteer Canada , an international partner of HandsOn Network, helped bring this campaign to Canada . Working with agencies and volunteer centres in cities across the country, hundreds of volunteers were mobilized at volunteering events such as this one in Toronto .

"Volunteers are invaluable to the Zoo and contribute immeasurably to our education and conservation mandate with the public," says Caroline Greenland , Toronto Zoo Manager of Education. "Our program benefits from a stable and long-term group of volunteers who are deeply committed to the work of the Zoo and importantly, thoroughly enjoy interacting with our visitors of all ages."

Over 200 volunteers arrived early at the Toronto Zoo's Savannah area to create food enrichment items for the animals. Families are making papier maché pinatas to house food items for elephants and primates; hollowing out and carving pumpkins as toys for bears, hippos and elephants; producing pine cone treats for birds and primates; and many other items.

Karen Hamilton , Supervisor of Animal Care and Enrichment, Toronto Zoo, explains, "Animal welfare is not considered complete by simply providing animals with food, water, shelter, and medical care. The psychological well-being of an animal must be considered when evaluating the optimal welfare for an animal. Providing enrichment items and vessels such as these, created today by volunteers, are needed for every captive animal."

Deborah Gardner , Executive Director of Volunteer Toronto , was also on-site to lend a hand.

"We hope that events such as this inspire families to spend time together volunteering and encourage children to develop a lifelong commitment to volunteering."

Beyond today's events, Volunteer Canada and HandsOn Network, the volunteer-focused arm of Points of Light Institute and the largest volunteer network in the United States , will provide other "family-friendly" volunteer activities for those wishing to participate in the "Give a Day, Get a Disney Day" campaign. Starting January 1, 2010 , guests can go to www.DisneyParks.ca to search for volunteer opportunities in their area.

To learn more about The Toronto Zoo, visit www.torontozoo.com.

Right now, families can visit www.DisneyParks.ca to learn more about the program and how to get their free Disney Park ticket.

    
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    Give a Day, Get a Disney Day details:
    Must pre-register and sign up for eligible volunteer opportunity at
    www.disneyparks.ca. Ticket quantities for this program are limited. Must
    be at least age 6 to participate. Other terms and conditions apply. For
    details, see www.disneyparks.ca (in Canada) or www.disneyparks.com (in
    the United States and Puerto Rico).
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    About Walt Disney Parks and Resorts
    -----------------------------------
    

Walt Disney Parks and Resorts are where dreams come true. More than 50 years ago, Walt Disney created a new kind of entertainment families could experience together, immersed in detailed atmospheres and vibrant storytelling. His vision now includes a collection of five of the world's leading family vacation destinations - Disneyland Resort, Anaheim , Calif.; Walt Disney World Resort, Lake Buena Vista, Fla.; Tokyo Disney Resort, Urayasu, Chiba, Japan ; Disneyland Resort Paris , Marne-la-Vallée, France ; and Hong Kong Disneyland Resort, Lantau Island, Hong Kong , China . In addition, Walt Disney Parks and Resorts includes the world-class Disney Cruise Line; Disney Vacation Club, with nine resorts and more than 420,000 members; Adventures by Disney, a guided group vacation experience to some of the world's most popular destinations; Disney Regional Entertainment, which operates the ESPN Zone dining and entertainment centers; the World of Disney stores; and Walt Disney Imagineering, which creates and designs all Disney parks, resorts and attractions. For more information and images, please visit www.disneyparks.ca.

    
    About Volunteer Canada
    ----------------------
    

An International Partner of HandsOn Network, Volunteer Canada is the national voice for volunteerism in Canada . Since 1977, the organization has been committed to increasing and supporting volunteerism and civic participation through ongoing programs, special projects and national initiatives, by developing resources and by engaging in research and training across the country. Working with volunteer centres, community and national organizations and businesses, Volunteer Canada actively leads national dialogues on how volunteerism is related to citizen engagement and civil society and provides leadership on issues and trends in the Canadian volunteer movement.

    
    About HandsOn Network
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The volunteer-focused arm of Points of Light Institute, HandsOn Network is the largest volunteer network in the USA and includes more than 250 HandsOn Action Centers that reach more than 83 percent of the USA's population and extend to 10 countries. HandsOn includes a powerful network of more than 70,000 corporate, faith and nonprofit organizations that are answering the call to serve and creating scaled impact. In 2008, the network delivered approximately 30 million hours of volunteer service.

For further information: For media, contact: Elizabeth Gray-Smith, Manager, Communications, Volunteer Canada, [phone]