Credit: CTV News SaskatoonWe’ve all heard the stories. A “Make-a-Wish” kid’s dreams are brought to life at Walt Disney World in ways that make anybody’s heart fill with joy. All of the stories shared across social media are, of course, focused on the kids and their families. But, what’s it like to be the Cast Members tasked with granting those wishes?
One Walt Disney World resort Cast Member, Nathaniel, shed some light on what it’s like to be one of these real-life wish granters. He said:
“It’s humbling to think that kids can choose anything in the world for their wish, and they choose to come visit us at Walt Disney World Resort. It’s a tremendous honor that they choose our parks, our characters, our cruises and that the emotional connection that they feel with the Disney brand gives us the ability to make this happen for them.”
Nathaniel has experience dawning a variety of roles involved with the wish-granting experiences made possible because of Disney’s partnership with the Make-a-Wish Foundation. From a member of Disney’s Guest Relations team to being a Walt Disney World Ambassador and even an entertainment captain who helped arrange unique character meet n’ greets, Nathaniel has experienced almost every perspective of the Cast Member’s side.
Related: 8-year-old boy meets his Disney heroes thanks to Make-A-Wish
One of the most memorable wishes Nathaniel granted was for one little girl who wanted to experience a Mad Tea Party first-hand.
He explained:
“One of my favorite stories that comes to mind when we talk about Make-A-Wish is a time when I was working as an entertainment captain at the Magic Kingdom and we had a little girl from Make-A-Wish tell us that it was her wish to have a tea party with Alice and the Mad Hatter, so we arranged for her and her family to join us in the Disney Wish Lounge for the ultimate Mad Tea Party featuring the guests of honor from ‘Alice in Wonderland.’”
But his favorite part comes afterward when Make-A-Wish kids come back after their wishes were granted, they share how much those wishes meant to them, and they bring their loved ones to relive those magical moments.
“I’ve always loved working for Disney so much, being able to provide something like this to these special kids just brings another layer to the job,” he said. “We get to give kids and families going through adversity what Walt Disney hoped our Parks would be, a source of joy and inspiration to all the world, including a little bit of pixie dust.”
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Do you know anybody who has their own “Make-A-Wish” Disney story? Let us know in the comments!
Source: Disney