A Walt Disney World cast member has been named the 2014 Disney VoluntEAR of the Year.
Kristen Lehrer, a resource manager at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, was chosen for the coveted award by Disney cast members. She received a surprise celebration, a trophy, a handshake from Mickey Mouse, and a $2,500 contribution to the charity of her choice.
“Kristin’s compassion and spirit of volunteerism is an inspiration to Cast Members throughout Central Florida,” said Nancy Gidusko, director of corporate citizenship for Walt Disney World Resort. “We’re proud to celebrate her contributions with one …

Last week cast members from Walt Disney World joined community leaders from Central Florida as the Extreme Village Makeover was revealed at Give Kids the World.
The cast members had donated many volunteer hours to help in the renovation and redesign of a building that honors the thousands of volunteers who serve kids and their families at Give Kids the World. The Extreme Makeover reveal was aired live on ABC’s Good Morning America.
The new space includes a lounge, registration area, and a floor-to-ceiling inspirational mural that was created with hundreds of …

Walt Disney World cast members recently designed more than 900 bears for the Salvation Army’s Dress-A-Bear program.
The cast member designed Disney Bears or Duffy Bears – 920 in all – will be given to children in Central Florida.
The cast members created hand-made costumes or used ready-made costumes for the bears, creating princess bears, cowboy bears, and of course bears dresses as Disney characters. The design-a-bear has been a tradition for cast members for more than 15 years.
“It’s because of Disney’s generosity that we are able to provide these gifts,” said …

On Thursday, Walt Disney World cast members will be donating thousands of school supplies to Central Florida schools.
This back-to-school supply drive will be held at the Disney Distribution Center at 10 a.m., where superintendents from Orange, Seminole, Osceola, Lake and Polk counties will attend as school buses from each district are loaded up with school supplies. Mickey Mouse and his familiar pals will also be on hand to help with the collection of donated supplies.
Disney has hosted these supply drives since 2005 in order to give students the tools they …