Tips on using the Give a Day, Get a Disney Day promotion for free Disney tickets | Family, travel, mom blog

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Disney is calling 2010 the “Year to Volunteer,” and Disney Parks is rewarding those who serve with free Disney tickets.

This campaign is a big boon for families, because it allows all members of the family to go to Walt Disney World or Disneyland for free on the same day. This differs from the birthday campaign last year, where only the birthday boy or girl got in free.

Disney has teamed up with the HandsOn Network for this promotion. I have worked with the Hands-On Network to volunteer in the past, and I love it. It’s an easy way to become involved in your community and to “sample” different types of community service organizations before committing to volunteer long-term for one.

Here’s how the “Give a Day, Get a Disney Day” campaign works:

Sign up for a volunteer opportunity online. Opportunities are offered in communities throughout the United States and Canada. You must sign up for an approved opportunity through this site. There is no alternate way to document volunteer hours.
Complete your volunteer service and do some good in your community!
The volunteer organization will verify your service and you’ll get an e-mail from Disney with a voucher.
Redeem your voucher for a 1-day, 1-park ticket and have some fun!

Some tips about using Disney’s “Give a Day, Get a Disney Day” program for a free ticket:

Kids ages 6 and up can participate. Be sure to look at the minimum age required for the different volunteer opportunities. When browsing the opportunities in my area, I found several that my 6-year-old daughter would enjoy, including visiting with nursing home residents and making crafts and cards for shut-in seniors.
You must own a residence in the United States or Canada to be eligible, but you do not have to be a U.S. citizen. Citizens of other countries who own vacation homes here can sign up for volunteer service while they are in the United States and take advantage of this program.
The Web site lists volunteer activities for the next 60 days. There are new ones being added all the time, so if you don’t see something that interests you now, check back later.
Disney says that the Hands On Network reaches 83 percent of the U.S. population. I have searched some rural areas and found that the closest opportunities were sometimes 50-100 miles away. If you live in a rural area, remember that you can search and sign up for opportunities anywhere. Perhaps you could combine your volunteer service with a family trip you already have planned.
You will need a driver’s license, government-issued photo ID or passport to redeem your voucher at the ticket window. Children under 18 who don’t have one of these will need a copy of their birth certificate.
If you have a multi-day ticket or annual pass, you can use your voucher for a FASTPASS special exchange card or a special ear hat figurine with trading pins. Or you can choose to donate your free ticket to a non-profit organization.
There are blackout dates for this promotion. You cannot use your voucher to get a free ticket March 29-April 8 or July 4 at Walt Disney World. At Disneyland, the blackout dates are Feb. 13-14, March 21, June 21-22, July 4, Nov. 21 and Dec. 11-12.
This Give a Day, Get a Disney Day promotion ends on Dec. 15, 2009. You must use your ticket voucher by this date.

Here’s one of Disney’s TV ads about the new program. It features some folks I love, the Muppets. And Taye Diggs isn’t so bad to look at either.