Three great reasons why joining the CHOC Walk is a perfect fit for Disney-loving families.

register-for-the-choc-walk-at-chocwalk-org
October is our favorite time of the year for many reasons. One of the most important reasons is this is the time of the annual CHOC Walk at the Disneyland resort.

CHOC Children’s began as a regional hospital in 1964. Today, it has grown to be a regional healthcare leader that treats patients from throughout with United States and around the world. CHOC Children’s is now made up of two hospitals, as well as more than 30 specialty clinics and programs, and four renowned centers of excellence – the CHOC Children’s Heart, Neuroscience Orthopaedic, and Hyundai Cancer Institutes. Moreover, CHOC Orange offers the only pediatric emergency department in the region and, in 2014, began operating a Level II pediatric-focused trauma center.

Walt Disney was a champion for CHOC right from the start. In fact, he was even on the hospital’s first board of directors more than 50 years ago. Today, the Disneyland Resort continues to stay very involved with CHOC through the Disneyland Resort Patient and Family Lobby featuring the Disney California Adventure Park attraction Turtle Talk With Crush twice daily for patients and their siblings, frequent character visits, and of course, presenting CHOC “Walk in the Park”—the largest and most unique pediatric walk event in the nation. In addition, the Disney-led Disneyland Resort Annual Passholders team is on track to be the highest fundraising groups for this year’s event.

The 2016 walk covers three miles through Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure Park where “CHOC walkers” get a special peek at the magic of the Disneyland Resort before the parks open to the general public. At the end of the 5k walk, the event continues in the resort’s Downtown Disney District at the CHOC Walk Festival where event sponsors, hospital support groups, shops and restaurants have special offers for participants.

Those who want to walk in the event can register at chocwalk.org and join a team or walk as an individual. All funds raised through the CHOC Walk benefit the hospital’s KidsCare Fund. This special fund provides support to the programs and services in the greatest need—from mental health services to an expanded neonatal intensive care unit to providing healthcare for children and families who cannot afford to pay.

There are many great reasons to take part in the CHOC Walk, in addition to the huge impact the funds that are donated and raised make on the health and wellbeing of Southern California’s children. Here are three reasons that Disney-loving families will really like.

1. Participating in the CHOC Walk and supporting CHOC Children’s is an opportunity to carry on Walt Disney’s passion for supporting the health and wellness of the children in the community surrounding the Disneyland Resort and the advancement of pediatric medicine. Raising money
for CHOC Children’s provides parents the opportunity to teach their children about the importance of helping others—even children—in their community. It can be particularly powerful for children to learn that their fundraising can help other, less fortunate kids.

2. By raising money for the CHOC Walk, walkers can earn prizes, including free Disneyland Resort tickets that can provide a cost-saving option for families planning a Disneyland Resort vacation. Participants who raise between $375 and $599 earn one 1-Day Disneyland Resort Park Hopper Ticket. Participants who raise $600 or more earn two 1-Day Disneyland Resort Park Hopper Tickets.

3. By participating in the walk, families are not only helping to further CHOC’s mission, they are also able to gain a unique look at the Disneyland Resort through the Walk experience, purchase reduced-rate group ticket admission for the parks as part of the perks of participating in the CHOC Walk and enjoy special discounts in the Downtown Disney District the day of the walk. Together, all of these make the CHOC Walk an ideal time to plan a family getaway or staycation to the Disneyland Resort.

In order to purchase the reduced-rate group tickets, walkers must present their CHOC Walk In the Park wristband at a Disneyland Resort Ticket Booth to purchase a special CHOC-Tober Disneyland Resort 1-Day Park Hopper ticket for $83 or a 1-Day 1-Park Ticket for $55 for use on the day of the walk or another visit to Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure Park. A maximum of five tickets may be purchased per wristband. The offer is valid on October 30, 2016 only. Tickets expire November 30, 2016 and are blocked out November 19-23, 2016.

Event and registration information can be found at www.chocwalk.org and real-time event information can also be found on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. This year’s hashtag is #chocwalk.

CHOC Walk In The Park 2014

My daughter and I had another year of wonderful memories walking in the CHOC Walk in the Park at the Disneyland Resort this year. A total of $2 million dollars was raised by participants from all over the country and even from some abroad. Many people enjoy dressing up similar to their favorite Disney characters. Another fun aspect is that there are character photo ops all along the pathway, where you can pause for a quick picture before continuing on your way. Every year, several lesser-seen characters are often seen along the route.

Prizes are awarded for those who fundraiser higher amounts of money. Some of the big prizes this year included a luxury watch, a night in a suite for a Duck’s games, free Chick-Fil-A for a year and a pampering package from Massage Envy. Lower prize levels also had some great items like free food coupons and some fun swag.

The CHOC Walk covered three miles throughout the Disneyland® Resort, including Disneyland, Disney California Adventure Park and ending in Downtown Disney. Since its inception in 1990, the the CHOC Walk in the Park has raised over $24 million with these funds supporting a variety of patient and family programs at CHOC, including education, research and the adoption and utilization of the latest technologies to advance the health of children.

Next years date will be announced shortly and you can bet that we’ll be participating. 2015 will also mark the 25th anniversary of the CHOC Walk!

For more information visit CHOCWalk.org

CHOC Walk in the Park 2014 – Disneyland Resort

As a kick-off to the annual CHOC Walk in the Park on October 14, Downtown Disney recently held another fun fundraising event benefiting CHOC Children’s: Taste of Downtown Disney. This is the 7th year the event has been held and continues increasing in popularity each year, with several ticket levels selling out early. This event offered guests the opportunity to try foods from many of the restaurants located at the Downtown Disney district.

Food and drink specialties were offered from each of the major restaurants around Downtown Disney. Those attending were put into five different groups who would then rotate through each area every 15 minutes. You had to eat and drink fast, but it was worth it as you eagerly look forward to the next station. Some of my personal favorites included homemade guacamole and tortilla chips from Tortilla Joe’s and the lamb burger sliders from the Uva Bar. Yummy stuff!

Samplings were had at the following locations:
Catal Restaurant and UVA Bar
Tortilla Jo’s
Naples Ristorante E Pizzeria
ESPN Zone
Ralph Brennan’s Jazz Kitchen
House of Blues
Jamba Juice
La Brea Bakery
Wonderground Gallery

And a special presentation by Art Attack!

Each of the pieces of work created during the Art Attack! presentations were auctioned off for CHOC later in the night while we sipped on Jamba Juice. The event was well timed and we were all able to watch the firework show as the went off right over our heads. It was a magical way to end the night.

For 2014, the CHOC Walk in the Park will be held on October 12th. The CHOC Walk covers three miles through Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure Park where “CHOC Walkers” get a special peek behind the magic before the parks open to the general public. At the end of the 5K walk, the event continues in the resort’s Downtown Disney District where event sponsors, hospital support groups, shops and restaurants have special offers for Walk participants.

In order to help CHOC reach its goal of providing quality healthcare to the region’s two million children, each CHOC Walker must raise a minimum of $50 to participate in the Walk. Everyone can register at www.chocwalk.org and receive up-to-date event information at CHOC Foundation on Facebook and Twitter.

You can join our team! Here is the direct link for Team Daytrippingmom. We’d love to have dozens of our readers participate and be part of the team. It’s a minimum of $50 to walk and it’s all for a good cause. Participants get a t-shirt and wrist band. There are prize levels for higher dollar amounts raised, as well as awards for teams. Let’s do this!