Disney’s current ad campaign is “What will you celebrate?” My answer is “Disney VoluntEARs!” I had the distinct pleasure of welcoming and witnessing the childlike excitement of 20 Disney VoluntEARs arriving at Chicago Midway. The Disney VoluntEARs from Orlando along with our MDW Employees partnered to get down and dirty by refurbishing a local elementary school.  The enthusiasm for the task ahead was contagious. We welcomed them in typical Southwest Airlines style.

The gate area was decorated with my favorite Mickey Mouse balloons and magical banners. Also, to add to the excitement we were there to cheer and support the arrival of those coming to help improve our hometown.

You might ask why Southwest Airlines and Disney would work together on this project and the answer is that we both believe in celebrating community service. We are supporting spreading the word about Disney's new program called  "Give a Day, Get a Disney Day" by providing transportation for a 20-city tour that takes the volunteer program to major cities throughout the United States. Through this program Disney hopes to inspire families to volunteer in their communities in 2010 by giving a free one-day admission ticket to Disney parks to one million people who perform volunteer service for a participating organization. It is a really cool idea, and I am glad that Southwest Airlines gets to do a small part by spreading the word and giving back to the communities we serve. While the “Give a Day, Get a Disney Day” program kicks off January 1, right now guests can learn more about the program and how to get their free one-day admission to a Walt Disney World or Disneyland theme park by visiting www.DisneyParks.com (for the United States and Puerto Rico) or www.DisneyParks.ca (for Canada).