DisneyHand Donation to the USO Helps Troops Celebrate Independence Day

DisneyHand Donation to the USO Helps Troops Celebrate Independence Day

WASHINGTON, July 1 /PRNewswire/ -- DisneyHand, the worldwide outreach program for The Walt Disney Company, is donating more than 65,000 videos and DVDs to the USO for its centers around the world to commemorate the July Fourth holiday. The donation is included in 125 "Operation DisneyHand" Care Packages, which also contain books, toys and other Disney items to entertain troops and their families.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20031119/USO )

Disney also is donating $50,000 to the USO to improve the children's areas of its 121 centers under its newest program, "Operation DisneyHand Minnie Grants." The program builds on four years of Disney support for the USO, which includes financial and in-kind donations of more than $1 million.

"The USO is grateful to The Walt Disney Company for its generous support over the last four years," said USO president and CEO Edward A. Powell. "Holidays tend to remind soldiers of home, so the timeliness of the Disney Care Packages couldn't be better as our troops celebrate the fourth."

Other DisneyHand projects include Disney VoluntEARS in Los Angeles redecorating the children's room at the Bob Hope Hollywood USO at the Los Angeles Airport; and sending more than 20,000 Operation Uplift postcards to troops overseas.

Walt Disney Pictures recently presented exclusive showings of its latest movie, "Herbie: Fully Loaded," at 45 military bases across the country. "Herbie," the beloved car star, is back and will be bringing laughter to thousands of troops and their families.

About the USO: For more than 64 years, the USO (United Service Organizations) has been providing morale and recreation-type services to U.S. military personnel and their families. The USO is a nonprofit, charitable organization, relying on the generosity of the American people to support its programs and services. For more information on the USO, please visit our Web site at http://www.uso.org/.

About DisneyHand: DisneyHand, worldwide outreach for The Walt Disney Company, is dedicated to making the wishes of families and children a reality through public service initiatives, community outreach and volunteerism in the areas of compassion, learning, the arts and the environment. For more information, please visit http://www.disneyhand.com/.

Photo: NewsCom: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20031119/USO AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org/ PRN Photo Desk,photodesk@prnewswire.com Source: USO

CONTACT: Christine Phillip of USO, +1-703-908-6485; or Maria Gladowski or Aaron Hunt of Disney, +1-818-560-6385

Web site: http://www.uso.org/ http://www.disneyhand.com/

------- Profile: Ent