The 25th Annual CHOC WALK IN THE PARk  kicked off at the Disneyland Resort recently raising a quarter million dollars for the Children’s Hospital of Orange County.

The walk through the parks of Disneyland Resort was kicked off with brief ceremony with Disneyland Resort President Michael Colgazier who was joined by CHOC President Kim Cripe.

The money raised this year will go towards a new mental health initiative to support psychiatric services for children under 12.

Full posting from DPB below.

Disneyland Resort Celebrates 25th Anniversary of CHOC Walk in the Park with $250,000 Gift

This year continues to be magical for the Disneyland Resort. In the midst of celebrating our 60th anniversary, the cast members of the Disneyland Resort had an amazing time last weekend helping to celebrate another momentous community milestone – the 25th anniversary of CHOC Walk in the Park.

CHOC Children’s is one of the most important health organizations in our community. It is hard to meet someone in the area who hasn’t been touched by the great work that they do. The CHOC Walk, one the hospital’s largest annual fundraising events, is also among the most popular community events for our cast. Hundreds of Disney cast members were among the walkers who raised awareness and money for this wonderful organization.

In addition to my role at the Disneyland Resort, I am also very fortunate to sit on the board of directors at CHOC Children’s. I get to see firsthand all of the wonderful things they do on a daily basis. More importantly, I get exposure to how they plan to address Orange County’s greatest needs.

One of our community’s largest opportunities is in mental health services for our youth. According to CHOC, one in five children has a diagnosable mental health disorder. That adds up to about 150,000 kids in our community. However, Orange County has no inpatient psychiatric services for children under 12 and very limited services for adolescents.

I was very happy to learn that CHOC Children’s is starting a mental health initiative to specifically address this need. I am also excited to share that the Disneyland Resort is matching the funds raised by our cast members for the CHOC Walk in support of the new mental health initiative. In total, our cast and resort is contributing $250,000 to its new program.

I want to thank all of the walkers and sponsors of CHOC Children’s. Your support throughout the years helps to ensure a healthy and happy future for Orange County.