Disney Cast make wishes come true for Make-A-Wish Central and Northern Florida at Lake Eola Park

Yesterday, Thursday, March 23, nearly 200 Disney VoluntEARS participated at this year’s Walk for Wishes event at downtown Orlando's Lake Eola Park, raising more than $8.5K to help Make-A-Wish Central and Northern Florida grant future wishes!

At Walt Disney World Resort, cast members have played a big role in bringing more than 145,000 Disney-inspired wishes to life over the last 40 years alongside Make-A-Wish.

As a current Disney cast member and Make-A-Wish alumni, Abron Kelly knows this impact firsthand and has always cherished giving back to other wish recipients, both at the resort and across our community.

“I’m so grateful for the cast members that help support Make-A-Wish. You have no idea unless you’ve been in the shoes of a sick child or family member how much the magic you create for them means,” said Abron. “I know from personal experience how a wish can provide an escape – a chance to just be a kid and not even think about what illness you have. It’s such a wonderful experience, and I still think about my wish trip to this day.”

Madyson Townsend, another wish alum and Disney cast member, also remembers the profound impact of the wish trip she and her brother got to experience together. They were both born with immune deficiencies, and they visited Walt Disney World in 2000 on his wish trip.

“My brother Blake chose to go to Walt Disney World so that we could ride Buzz Lightyear together,” Madyson said. “It was the only vacation Blake and I had together because he passed away a few years later. I don’t have a lot of solid memories with him, but I remember that trip – not necessarily what rides we rode or what shows we saw, but I remember the cast we interacted with and the special moments we shared. The thought of creating the same joy that was given to Blake and I is what led me to becoming a cast member.”

Abron and Madyson are incredible examples of how powerful Disney’s stories, characters and immersive experiences are for those in need around the world.

As cast members, they now get to spread that same happiness and positivity they experienced during their wish trips.

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