Our Leaders within the Community

As a cast member for 29 years, I am so grateful to work for a company that supports the community the way the Disneyland Resort does. Each year, I nominate the PADRE (Pediatric-Adolescent Diabetes Research Education) Foundation, which serves children with Type 1 diabetes, for a Disney VoluntEARS Community Fund (DVCF) grant.

The grants are selected and funded by Disneyland Resort cast members, and the cast members who contribute to the fund can nominate an organization for a grant. I became part of the PADRE Foundation in 1996 when my 15-month-old son was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. In 1998, I began nominating them, and they have received a DVCF grant of $5,000 almost every year since.

Although my son, now 23, still has daily struggles with his blood sugar, he has learned to manage living with this disease, and we both have lifetime bonds with other Type 1 diabetic families through PADRE Foundation. The support the families give and get from one another, and from the Disneyland Resort, is invaluable.

Susan Brennan
Print Sourcing Specialist, Disneyland Resort
PADRE Foundation Board of Directors