Anyone participating in the "Give a Day, Get a Day" ?

[Ulliboo]

We are blessed to have been able to travel to WDW once a year for the last 5 years. When I heard about the Disney Give a Day, Get a Day Program I was excited for 2 reasons;
- chance at free tickets
- chance to teach my son about how lucky he really is
We are all signed up for three shifts at our local food bank. You only have to do one, but they really need the help.

Anyone else participating ???

 

[suzicute20]

Yep. We volunteered at a local food bank as well. Got our ticket vouchers via email a little less than a week later. Have fun!

 

[loveysbydesign]

Yup...we're doing our 1st volunteering later today!

 

[james'mommy]

We signed up for a book drive. It would be more of a teaching moment for my son if we hadn't all ready given away all his old books to his school at xmas. DS really wanted to do Habitat for Humanity but there weren't any options for young kids locally. I'm going to keep checking back for HfH since he's so interested in it.

 

[hello kitty]

We volunteered to clean 6 parks. I have to admit, it was a less than satisfying experience. I don't feel like the organization really needed our help.

We were scheduled for 8:30am to 1:00pm. The place was packed when we showed up because they had several different projects going on.... Park Beautification (us), Mural Painting, Flower/Tree Planting, Crafting, Haitian Relief and American Redcross. Super!

We were the first group out for our project and we were sent to a park (slab of concrete, two hoops and some grass) that was maybe the size of a gas station. It took us about 20 minutes because the park was already fairly clean. The team leader then told us to fill out an evaluation form and take it back to the school to checkout. She had called ahead to the other groups and was told that the other parks weren't dirty enough to bother with.

We got back to the school and were in line to checkout when one of the organizers got uppity and declared, after already checking out quite a few people, that if we left we would not get anything because we had not done enough and were not there long enough. Okay. I agreed with that. I was disappointed that we hadn't done more.

She threw us off on the Red Cross, who told her that they didn't have any work for us, and stomped off with a major attitude. The organizer for the Red Cross was extremely apologetic and nice. She got us some gloves and trash bags and told us we could just pick up trash around the campus. Great! The only problem was that the campus was fairly clean also.

To sum it up, they had way too many volunteers come and nowhere near enough work. We spent an additional 2 hours "cleaning" something that didn't really need cleaning when we could have been making a difference somewhere else. And when I say we, I mean my kids and me along with a few others. Quite a few volunteers hung out by or in their cars just waiting for the time to pass. I even overheard a few that went for a late breakfast then came back. I can't say that I blame them, but it left a bad taste in my mouth.

It's not what I expected and I wouldn't work with this particular group again. I will, however, continue to volunteer because I believe it is important to give back and this has made me realize that we just don't do enough.

 

[Ulliboo]

We volunteered to clean 6 parks. I have to admit, it was a less than satisfying experience. I don't feel like the organization really needed our help.

We were scheduled for 8:30am to 1:00pm. The place was packed when we showed up because they had several different projects going on.... Park Beautification (us), Mural Painting, Flower/Tree Planting, Crafting, Haitian Relief and American Redcross. Super!

We were the first group out for our project and we were sent to a park (slab of concrete, two hoops and some grass) that was maybe the size of a gas station. It took us about 20 minutes because the park was already fairly clean. The team leader then told us to fill out an evaluation form and take it back to the school to checkout. She had called ahead to the other groups and was told that the other parks weren't dirty enough to bother with.

We got back to the school and were in line to checkout when one of the organizers got uppity and declared, after already checking out quite a few people, that if we left we would not get anything because we had not done enough and were not there long enough. Okay. I agreed with that. I was disappointed that we hadn't done more.

She threw us off on the Red Cross, who told her that they didn't have any work for us, and stomped off with a major attitude. The organizer for the Red Cross was extremely apologetic and nice. She got us some gloves and trash bags and told us we could just pick up trash around the campus. Great! The only problem was that the campus was fairly clean also.

To sum it up, they had way too many volunteers come and nowhere near enough work. We spent an additional 2 hours "cleaning" something that didn't really need cleaning when we could have been making a difference somewhere else. And when I say we, I mean my kids and me along with a few others. Quite a few volunteers hung out by or in their cars just waiting for the time to pass. I even overheard a few that went for a late breakfast then came back. I can't say that I blame them, but it left a bad taste in my mouth.

It's not what I expected and I wouldn't work with this particular group again. I will, however, continue to volunteer because I believe it is important to give back and this has made me realize that we just don't do enough.

Sorry you had a bad experience. There wasn't very many choices to choose from for families where I live. The Blood Bank was looking for people, but my son and I would have been passed out on the floor ! I have no problem with seeing blood, but when it's flowing from a person to a tube I turn green.

 

[goofy53073]

I just signed us up to make blankets for Project Linus. I wanted something my oldest (7) could participate in and "earn" his FP. I also figure this is something my 5 1/2 year old can help us with even though she technically is not old enough and won't get her own voucher. There were not many opportunites near us that were appropriate for kids and I did not want this tecahable moment to slip away

 

[Khill]

My wife and I are going to be working at Goodwill sorting clothes, and unpacking boxes.

They do not allow kids though, which is kind of a bummer.

The thing is, you are doing some good, and it is for a good cause.

 

[hello kitty]

I would love to do what you're doing Ulliboo, but for some odd reason I can't seem to find a food bank in our area.

As for the blood drive, I'm with you.

I do think this is a wonderful program, but it did make me wonder if organizations get more than volunteers out of it. Does anybody know if they get anything extra for participating? The one I was with just seemed like they wanted to give a bunch of people in the area a chance to get some free Disney tickets, but didn't have any real opportunities for earning them if that makes sense. I am not saying this of the Red Cross because they actually looked well organized and like they were doing something.

 

[dragitoff]

I signed my family up for one of the few things in our area. Both my kids ride horses so I thought a place that works with horses would actually be a great thing for them to not only help, but really enjoy doing it. I couldn't believe the email I got from the organization after I requested more information and scheduling info. It looks like the organization simply used the Disney promotion to get volunteer names and contact info:

"Thank you for your interest in coming to volunteer at Hands and Hearts for
Horses. While you and your family are welcome to volunteer with the
program, we are not able to support the Give a Day, Get a Day at Disney
campaign at this time. Our intentions for signing up with the Hands On
Volunteer Network were to recruit general volunteers for our program and we
were not informed about this campaign before it began. If you would like
more information about volunteering at Hands and Hearts, please feel free to
look at our website. We hold volunteer trainings the first Monday of each
month and everyone over the age of 10 is welcome to volunteer. Thank you
again for your interest and we apologize that we will not be able to
accommodate the Give a Day, Get a Day at Disney Campaign."

I was quite disappointed, not just because there are limited opportunities for our area, but because I felt like the organization should not be allowed to get contact info for people if they're not actually participating in the event. Is there some way to let Disney know about issues like this? I'm sure they wouldn't allow it if they were aware of what was going on.

 

[TxMickeyLover]

We're signed up to do blankets for Project Linus. I'm very excited about this, because most of the opportunities that we could help with took place during the week, when we both work.

 

[Ulliboo]

I would love to do what you're doing Ulliboo, but for some odd reason I can't seem to find a food bank in our area.

As for the blood drive, I'm with you.

I do think this is a wonderful program, but it did make me wonder if organizations get more than volunteers out of it. Does anybody know if they get anything extra for participating? The one I was with just seemed like they wanted to give a bunch of people in the area a chance to get some free Disney tickets, but didn't have any real opportunities for earning them if that makes sense. I am not saying this of the Red Cross because they actually looked well organized and like they were doing something.

Interestingly, the volunteer coordinator told me that they only found out about the program by chance. She said they jumped at the chance to have extra volunteers for the Disney program. As of today, she told me she had 84 requests in a short period of time.

 

[Ulliboo]

We're signed up to do blankets for Project Linus. I'm very excited about this, because most of the opportunities that we could help with took place during the week, when we both work.

Sounds like a nice project.Where do the blankets go ?

 

[Bimmy56]

our problem is that we are going for a week and a free 1 day pass is pretty much worthless, as we have to have 7 day passes and 2 of us have annual passes

 

[Khill]

our problem is that we are going for a week and a free 1 day pass is pretty much worthless, as we have to have 7 day passes and 2 of us have annual passes

But if you read the info on it, you will get fast passes instaed, just like the Birthday fast passes.

I was in th esame boat till I found this out.

 

[BradyBz12]

our problem is that we are going for a week and a free 1 day pass is pretty much worthless, as we have to have 7 day passes and 2 of us have annual passes

If you haven't already purchased your tix/APs, don't forget that you can apply the value of the GAD ticket towards a multi-day tix or AP, but you have to do this at WDW. Value is whatever a one day, one park tix is worth on the day you exchange your voucher (currently $79 adult, $68 3-9, before tax).

Alternately you can take advantage of the FP or other exchange options.

 

[susieQzee]

What have we gotten ourselves into? We're volunteering to work one of many aid stations during our local Habitat for Humanity's marathon next Saturday (Jan. 23rd). However, things are not as they were proposed. We were told, via email when we signed up, that it would be a 3-4 hour commitment, handing water to runners, offering Bandaids, registering runners, passing out t-shirts, etc. At the mandatory meeting we attended Saturday, we were told it's an 8-10 hour commitment. The runners will race around our local reservoir, plus a few miles have been added to make up for the shortage in the lake's perimeter. Because the course is out in the hills, once you are bused to your aid station at 6 a.m., you have to stay there until the bus comes to pick you up after 3 p.m. They have promised Port-o-lets, but no shelter (EZ Ups) unless you bring one yourself (it will be storming and muddy up there after the week's worth of rain we're going to be pounded with). The organizers told us at the mandatory meeting that the marathon will go on, "rain or shine," and that they expect many people to drop off the volunteer list because of the heavy rains, "but we're counting on you." Also, they asked us to pick up the trash the runners drop -- NOT A PROBLEM until they mentioned not to wander too far off because there are mountain lions and other wildlife up there (...and no radios to call for help, and no phone number of someone in charge if and when I need someone to scare the mountain lion away?!?). "Pack your lunches and your medications, if you need any, because you're going to be there all day." It keeps echoing through my head, and it doesn't make this a "fun" thing to do anymore.

Let me add that the meeting was an organizational nightmare! They knew how many people to expect, due to the emails, and they should have known to plan on others showing up. That being said, they ran out of the liability waivers for people to sign. The organizers kept talking over one another, and the sequence of items to talk about left many people confused (one lady talked about how to mix the Gatorade and how to hold the cups out for runners to grab before we even heard what time to meet and where).

In order to volunteer, we need to purchase rain gear. We live in Southern California, and according to the song, "it never rains in Southern California." We have tiny umbrellas, but not so much as a waterproof jacket, let alone rain boots. In the end, it would be cheaper to buy 2 Disney park passes! Yes, I know the principle behind the whole promotion is to give of yourself to help others, but this seems beyond the ideals of the Give a Day promo.

Sooo...what would YOU do? Would you follow through with what you said you'd do, or would you try to find another opportunity? To the OP, sorry to have hijacked your post, but this seemed like a good place to ask for help. Thanks for your insights!

 

[Khill]

If you don't already have your passes in hand, don't forget that you can apply the value of the GAD ticket towards a multi-day tix or AP. Value is whatever a one day, one park tix is worth on the day you exchange your voucher (currently $79 adult, $68 3-9, before tax).

Alternately you can take advantage of the FP or other exchange options.

How can you get the money to go toward the tickets. We have paid for them, we just have not gotten them yet.

 

[hello kitty]

What have we gotten ourselves into? We're volunteering to work one of many aid stations during our local Habitat for Humanity's marathon next Saturday (Jan. 23rd). However, things are not as they were proposed. We were told, via email when we signed up, that it would be a 3-4 hour commitment, handing water to runners, offering Bandaids, registering runners, passing out t-shirts, etc. At the mandatory meeting we attended Saturday, we were told it's an 8-10 hour commitment. The runners will race around our local reservoir, plus a few miles have been added to make up for the shortage in the lake's perimeter. Because the course is out in the hills, once you are bused to your aid station at 6 a.m., you have to stay there until the bus comes to pick you up after 3 p.m. They have promised Port-o-lets, but no shelter (EZ Ups) unless you bring one yourself (it will be storming and muddy up there after the week's worth of rain we're going to be pounded with). The organizers told us at the mandatory meeting that the marathon will go on, "rain or shine," and that they expect many people to drop off the volunteer list because of the heavy rains, "but we're counting on you." Also, they asked us to pick up the trash the runners drop -- NOT A PROBLEM until they mentioned not to wander too far off because there are mountain lions and other wildlife up there (...and no radios to call for help, and no phone number of someone in charge if and when I need someone to scare the mountain lion away?!?). "Pack your lunches and your medications, if you need any, because you're going to be there all day." It keeps echoing through my head, and it doesn't make this a "fun" thing to do anymore.

Let me add that the meeting was an organizational nightmare! They knew how many people to expect, due to the emails, and they should have known to plan on others showing up. That being said, they ran out of the liability waivers for people to sign. The organizers kept talking over one another, and the sequence of items to talk about left many people confused (one lady talked about how to mix the Gatorade and how to hold the cups out for runners to grab before we even heard what time to meet and where).

In order to volunteer, we need to purchase rain gear. We live in Southern California, and according to the song, "it never rains in Southern California." We have tiny umbrellas, but not so much as a waterproof jacket, let alone rain boots. In the end, it would be cheaper to buy 2 Disney park passes! Yes, I know the principle behind the whole promotion is to give of yourself to help others, but this seems beyond the ideals of the Give a Day promo.

Sooo...what would YOU do? Would you follow through with what you said you'd do, or would you try to find another opportunity? To the OP, sorry to have hijacked your post, but this seemed like a good place to ask for help. Thanks for your insights!

Lions and tigers and bears, oh my! I think I would have to bow out. If you had been told everything before signing up that would be one thing.

We were out in light showers. It wasn't ideal, but we didn't have to worry about being eaten. Shot at maybe.....

 

[SDSorority]

We volunteered yesterday! I'm excited to get our voucher's soon!