An nationwide volunteering program sponsored by Disney has reached an important milestone. NY1's Valarie D'Elia filed the following report.

Walt Disney World in Orlando, Fla. is inspiring a can-do attitude in its year-long celebration of volunteerism. In an effort to help inspire a million people to perform volunteer service, Disney started a program this year called "Give A Day, Get A Disney Day," where those who lend a hand for a day in their community can get a Disney World or Disneyland theme park ticket.

In just six weeks, the program has surpassed the halfway point and now there are only 400,000 volunteer slots left to fill and the same number of theme park tickets to be awarded.

Disney has teamed up with HandsOn Network, the largest volunteer network in the nation, to help connect volunteers with projects

"It can be anything from river clean-up, reading books to school-aged kids, to packing backpacks for troops," says Disney Parks marketing manager Brad Baker.

Disney has celebrating the early success of the program in a big way by erecting a Guinness World Record-setting structure of canned goods molded into familiar Disney characters, amounting to 70,000 meals for the needy. Just as fast as it was unveiled, it was dismantled and shipped out to food banks in Miami, Orlando and Atlanta.

While most people who participate in the Give A Day, Get A Disney Day program take advantage of the free theme park ticket themselves, there is the option to donate the ticket to a designated charitable organization.

Disney hopes that the program will inspire people to continue their volunteering beyond just one day, when there is no particular monetary reward attached to the act of giving.

"We wanted to instill values in our children and to teach them that's it's better to give than to receive," said one volunteering parent.

As many as eight family members can volunteer, and the youngest has to be at least six years old.

Hopeful volunteers must pre-register at www.disneyparks.com.

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