As a Disneyland Resort cast member and Anaheim resident, I am always looking to volunteer my time in ways that help benefit this incredible city I get to call home. After learning that the resort partners with Chrysalis as part of our community workforce development initiative, I jumped at the opportunity to get involved!
For more than five years, the community workforce development initiative has helped Disneyland Resort empower Anaheim’s workforce of tomorrow through partnerships with nonprofit organizations like Chrysalis. With a mission to serve people navigating barriers to the workforce, Chrysalis established its Anaheim center in 2018 and has served more than 2,500 clients, thanks in large part to a cumulative $1 million donation from Disneyland Resort. Since then, the resort has helped Chrysalis support jobseekers with practice interviews, resume writing and educational training – all with the goal of uplifting vulnerable individuals to find pathways to stability, security and fulfillment.
As a passionate Disney VoluntEAR, it’s rewarding to give back to my local community. Here are some recent ways we’ve worked with Chrysalis to support job seekers in Anaheim.
Disney VoluntEARS Clothing Drive
To get participants started on the right foot in their career journey, Disney VoluntEARS launched a clothing drive to collect business casual ready-to-wear clothing suitable for job interviews to support Chrysalis’ job-readiness program. Cast members across the resort donated gently used clothing, shoes and accessories to the drive, from suits and dresses to ties and shoes.
Personally, I took the opportunity to donate wardrobe pieces that had brought me joy and success in my professional roles – with the hope that the next owners of those items find the same confidence that I had as they move forward in their own career paths.
Volunteering with the Disney Ambassadors
With the clothing drive being a huge success, we saw another opportunity to jump in and help even more by organizing all the donated pieces for Chrysalis clients to easily select, try on and feel ready for interviews and employment.
Fellow cast members joined me in a Disney VoluntEARS opportunity at the Anaheim center, where our small but mighty team was given a tour of the facility before working on a variety of tasks, such as organizing the donated items and sorting the site’s resource room to prepare for client visits. It was incredible to participate in this event with cast members who are equally passionate about volunteer work!
Hiring Event at Disneyland Resort
The resort’s collaboration with Chrysalis extends even further. Disneyland Resort Casting Services provided support and industry expertise at a recent Chrysalis hiring event to help individuals build their skill sets and secure pathways to new careers. Members of the resort’s casting and recruitment team were there providing information and insights about Disney-specific roles, along with general career advice. Clients were even able to secure job interviews and offers on the spot!
It’s an honor to be part of this incredible work that is being done to inspire the workforce of tomorrow with Disney VoluntEARS. Keep following Disney Cast Life and Disneyland Cast and Community for more inspiring stories!
