GAD max has been reached!! Sign-ups are no longer available!

[DisneyFan32WI]

Well...looks like free dining is back...LOL

 

[swedie]

I think what's really sad is all the organizations whose dates weren't even logged on as yet (due to the 60 day limit). They will be missing out on all those volunteers! I received my voucher about a month ago, as I picked an activity that happened earlier in the year. We were still checking for something my daughter and I could do together, one event we had signed up for and had to cancel due to my daughters work and school schedule. This organization was still listed as of last week. I'm thinking I'm going to contact them again and see if they still need the help - I would gladly go if so. For those of you that have volunteered - please do so again - that is the only way some of these places can still keep going. For those of you that did not meet the GAD deadline, please find something and help someone out. I think the GAD promotion was a wonderful idea on Disney's part - let's show them they did do a good thing!

 

[DisneyFan32WI]

I wanted to add that I am sad to be turning people away. I was hoping people would still want to help out just to be kind, but no such luck.
It is a bit disappointing to see that people only would truly volunteer to get something in return.
I promise you would walk away with a warm feeling in your heart if you only gave it a chance.

The volunteers we did get had a wonderful time. They learned a lot about our organization. They might not ever return, but I guarantee it touched them. I am glad to have made an impact on those who came.

 

[DaniB]

Our volunteer opportunity is this Satuday and we just received the confirmation by email today. We're still able to complete the service and get our vouchers right?

Yes, thank goodness. I signed my family up about 3 weeks ago. However our volunteer date is not until March 25th!

Dani

 

[BabaGanoush]

Our volunteer opportunity is this Satuday and we just received the confirmation by email today. We're still able to complete the service and get our vouchers right?

Just as a heads up, you must be committed on the Volunteer Opportunity Portal to be safe. Just receiving a confirmation email will not mean your safe (because the volunteer org will send out a confirmation - you need confirmation from specifically the Hands On Network). It is simple to check - Go to Manage Account. Sign in with email and password. Click on Go to Hands On Network. Click on Change/Cancel current opportunity. Make sure your org is listed with the right date. If it is not, your no longer eligible.

 

[palmettogirl07]

I think what's really sad is all the organizations whose dates weren't even logged on as yet (due to the 60 day limit). They will be missing out on all those volunteers! I received my voucher about a month ago, as I picked an activity that happened earlier in the year. We were still checking for something my daughter and I could do together, one event we had signed up for and had to cancel due to my daughters work and school schedule. This organization was still listed as of last week. I'm thinking I'm going to contact them again and see if they still need the help - I would gladly go if so. For those of you that have volunteered - please do so again - that is the only way some of these places can still keep going. For those of you that did not meet the GAD deadline, please find something and help someone out. I think the GAD promotion was a wonderful idea on Disney's part - let's show them they did do a good thing!

I have to agree it's so important that people volunteer as that is the only way organizations run smoothly without having to overwhelm the short amount of staff they have. For example for my volunteer activity (which I so wish I could do on a regular basis but due to scheduling conflicts it's hard to fit it in, but I am a full time volunteer at another place that I can do it all from home) there was one retired guy who did all the work himself. I was amazed that he did all of that work by himself every week! I was exhausted by the end of the volunteering event that I went home and took a nap! I couldn't imagine doing that by myself! But I definitely enjoyed talking to the guy before it started he had really inspired me by all of his travels of the world!

I have done so much volunteering since I was in middle school that I couldn't imagine not volunteering. So I really hope that those who volunteer will volunteer again .

 

[MouseloverJD]

Just as a heads up, you must be committed on the Volunteer Opportunity Portal to be safe. Just receiving a confirmation email will not mean your safe (because the volunteer org will send out a confirmation - you need confirmation from specifically the Hands On Network). It is simple to check - Go to Manage Account. Sign in with email and password. Click on Go to Hands On Network. Click on Change/Cancel current opportunity. Make sure your org is listed with the right date. If it is not, your no longer eligible.

This happened to my sister. she registered for an opportunity but apparently never signed up with handson. She completed the opportunity yesterday and the organization told her to just sign up when she got home. unfortunately, by the time she got home, the program was already closed. she's glad she volunteered but a little bummed that the program closed so abruptly.

 

[Kailua's Belle]

Just as a heads up, you must be committed on the Volunteer Opportunity Portal to be safe. Just receiving a confirmation email will not mean your safe (because the volunteer org will send out a confirmation - you need confirmation from specifically the Hands On Network). It is simple to check - Go to Manage Account. Sign in with email and password. Click on Go to Hands On Network. Click on Change/Cancel current opportunity. Make sure your org is listed with the right date. If it is not, your no longer eligible.

My date was scheduled on the VOP. I even printed the page. It lists under opportunity Story Time from the Front Lines for residents of the United States only), then under signed up is all of our names, verifying org is USO - World Headquarters, and date and time is Mail in before Sunday March 21, 2010. Now when I log in our opportunity says none selected or something like that. Hopefully the fact that I printed it off the HON VOP and have the confirming email from HON they'll put me back in. I've got two emails out right now.

I already picked up 10 books. I'll of course still send them in, but I sure hope we'll be able to get verified. We really were looking forward to those fast passes!!

Edit: I just logged in again and now it's showing up!! Hooray, it must have been a glitch yesterday. I'm going to get these books out ASAP!!!

 

[xApril]

I really think they should've set the limit a lot higher than one million. This is Disney that they're talking about! Of course lots of people are going to want to help...

So, are they going to be doing something else for the rest of the year then?

 

[3darlings]

I'm in but I do have to say that it really stinks that they are really cutting it off here - I mean what about people that were planning trips in the fall or winter, I'm sure they were planning to volunteer closer to their trips! I know I would if I were traveling at that time. Luckily we got ourselves registered this past weekend!!

Disney made it very clear from the beginning that there would only be 1 million tickets given out. We are not going until Nov but I made sure we completed our service in the first few weeks of Jan because I figured that they would run out. I actually thought it would be sooner than this. I really like Disney handled it well.

 

[mamasha]

I really think they should've set the limit a lot higher than one million. This is Disney that they're talking about! Of course lots of people are going to want to help...

So, are they going to be doing something else for the rest of the year then?

People can still help...just no passes

 

[dizzneebabe]

I don't think it necessarily ended "abruptly." We are not arriving until Dec 15th (was supposed to be the 16th, pushed it up a day). I made sure we did our volunteering in the beginning of January, because I'm very surprised they didn't run out sooner!

 

[NYDisneyKid]

I wanted to add that I am sad to be turning people away. I was hoping people would still want to help out just to be kind, but no such luck.
It is a bit disappointing to see that people only would truly volunteer to get something in return.

with all due respect and not saying this to be mean, with the economy the way it is I can understand why. Free vs $80 ticket price.

 

[Cinderella1980]

I had signed up on Monday, and got confirmation from the organization Monday night. I hadn't understood that the automatic VOP response email was THE email I had to go into to sign-up, so I missed the cut by a couple of hours.

So, unfortunately, I'm not registered. I'm still doing my good deed but that promo was a nice bonus.

I'm kicking myself for not understanding, I feel like such an idiot!

And getting help from the Disney people...Whoa. The lady I talked to had basically no idea what I was talking about!

 

[marciemouse]

I'm in but I do have to say that it really stinks that they are really cutting it off here - I mean what about people that were planning trips in the fall or winter, I'm sure they were planning to volunteer closer to their trips! I know I would if I were traveling at that time. Luckily we got ourselves registered this past weekend!!

We're not traveling until November or December, but Disney was pretty clear about the one million mark, so we volunteered as soon as possible. We got our vouchers this past Sunday, and I'm so glad we were able to participate in this program!

 

[wisnieea]

According to Disney Parks blog, the promotion is over.

http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/bl...day’-reaches-goal-–-1m-inspired-to-volunteer/

It only took 2 months! Wow!!

So what does this mean now for the theme???

 

[ElementCamper]

Information I've seen it's back to 'Celebrate' again, with emphasis on celebrating your volunteerism. And for summer the 'Summer Nightastic' with the new parade, fireworks and Tower of Terror enhancements.

 

[sahm2kaitlyne]

with all due respect and not saying this to be mean, with the economy the way it is I can understand why. Free vs $80 ticket price.

It is nice to get a free ticket, but what I think she's saying is some people are saying they won't volunteer if they don't get a free ticket. Volunteering is free

 

[PictureJumpr]

Yep, back to 'What will you celebrate?' to allow them to stop running Miss Piggy volunteer/GAD commercials and dust off the ones from last year. Only one they can't use is the birthday one, since they are not re-starting that part of the celebration theme.

I think it was a great program, I'm kind of proud that we managed to go through the 1 million offered spots so quickly. I'm ready to celebrate!

 

[doconeill]

Note that the theme has been "What Will You Celebrate?" all along, as it has been since January 1st 2009. Give A Day was only a promotion within the theme. "Free On Your Birthday" or whatever the official name was was also a promotion within the theme. Whether another promotion will actually take place remains to be seen, but I don't believe it will involve free admission, as it will take all year for the volunteers to use the ones they already have.