LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. – More than 700 families of fallen military heroes are being honored at Walt Disney World Resort ahead of the holiday season.
The Gary Sinise Foundation hosted the healing retreat with more than 1,800 loved ones as part of its annual Snowball Express event.
The experience, from Dec. 2-6, is a chance for family members to spend time together and honor their fallen hero, while cultivating relationships and making memories in a welcoming environment.
“It’s just a very special way they can have a moment in the middle of all of this to remember their loved one,” Executive Director of the Gary Sinise Foundation Donna Palmer said.
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As part of the retreat, a remembrance garden was established with hundreds of American flags representing the heroes the families lost and their sacrifices.
“It’s so important because it gives us an opportunity for us to show them they are not forgotten,” Palmer said. “It gives them that special sacred place to remember, but then they can take that special memory and go into the park.”
Families also participated in a Walk of Gratitude at Magic Kingdom Park.
During the walk, families wrote personal messages to their fallen hero on a scroll, then the children of fallen military heroes rang bells to sent those messages to those they lost.
“We were there to thank them and recognize them and honor their fallen hero and this is very special for Disney,” Manager of Communications for Disney Experiences Cappy Surette said. “It’s so special that we had more than 1,000 cast members show up in the middle of the night and be ready to stand tall at 5 o’clock in the morning to make extra special magic.”
For more details about the Gary Sinise Foundation and its programs, click here.
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