Shanghai Disney Resort Opens First Disney Play Room in Nanjing at Nanjing Children’s Hospital
Shanghai Disney Resort opened a new Disney-themed play area at Nanjing Children’s Hospital, bringing comfort and happiness to families with children facing serious illness. The opening of this first Disney Play Room in Nanjing was celebrated with a small ceremony at the hospital, with participation of leadership from Shanghai Disney Resort, Shanghai Charity Foundation, Nanjing Children’s Hospital, as well as Disney VoluntEARS. Beloved Disney characters Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse also made a special visit to the hospital to commemorate the occasion.
After opening, Shanghai Disney Resort VoluntEARS will pay regular visits to the Play Room in Nanjing Children’s Hospital, helping to bring smiles to children and families during their visits to the hospital.
“Our 10,000 Cast Members care deeply about children and families in need across Chinese mainland. Since 2011, our VoluntEARS from Shanghai Disney Resort have contributed more than 31,000 hours in the community, including at local hospitals, to positively impact over 190,000 people’s lives,” said Yan Wang, vice president of government affairs and community relations at Shanghai Disney Resort. “Here in Nanjing, we’ve worked closely with Nanjing Children’s Hospital to create a unique and fun Disney environment for children and their families that we hope will inspire and comfort those undergoing treatment and recovery.”
In June 2016, to mark the grand opening of Shanghai Disney Resort, The Walt Disney Company announced a $3.1 million USD (RMB 20 million) donation to fund Disney-themed play spaces and therapeutic play activities at children’s hospitals across China. Since the donation, Disney Play Room has opened in Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou and Chengdu. Over the course of the five-year program, the donation is providing more than 50 hospitals in China with play rooms and therapeutic play activities.
The donation is administered by the Shanghai Charity Foundation for children’s hospitals in and around Shanghai, and by the China Soong Ching Ling Foundation for hospitals in the rest of China, supported by Disney paint licensee Valspar. The play curriculum and training will be designed and implemented by Right To Play, a non-profit organization that uses the transformative power of play to educate and empower children to overcome adversity.
The Walt Disney Company’s support of children’s hospitals dates back to the 1930s when Walt Disney would visit with children, often accompanied by Disney characters and animators. In the next several years, Shanghai Disney Resort plans to build more play rooms in Shanghai and surrounding regions, including Jiangsu Province, Zhejiang Province, and Anhui Province, extending Disney magic to more cities in China.