News: Universal Studios a decade of community service

Posted at 1:44 PM EDT (1744 GMT)

Sep. 15th, 2008 --

ORLANDO, Fla. – Universal Orlando Resort is celebrating the 10-year anniversary of its community volunteering program this week, an effort which has supported dozens of charities and worthwhile causes throughout Central Florida.

Over the last decade, Universal Orlando Resort team members have contributed more than 82,000 volunteer hours and worked on 2,160 volunteer projects in the Orlando community, including reading stories to and mentoring schoolchildren, rocking newborn babies, sorting school supplies and stocking canned goods.

“While statistics are certainly important, the real joy of this program is the ability to bring a smile to a child’s face, help build a house for a family in need, sort food which will provide thousands of meals for families or donate blood which can literally save a life.” said Jan Stratton, Vice President of Community & Diversity Relations.

To commemorate 10 years of caring, commitment and partnership with charitable organizations in the area, Universal Orlando’s community relations team has lined up a week’s worth of special volunteer projects with some of its long-time partner organizations.  The Universal Orlando Foundation will also give a special grant to a non-profit/public school in recognition of one team member’s outstanding volunteer efforts.

Universal Orlando is awarding the $10,000 UGive Legacy Grant to Eccleston Elementary School on behalf of Universal team-member Vivian Geary-Gibson for her tireless commitment to community involvement. Geary-Gibson, an event manager with Universal Orlando’s event management team, has led more than 71 projects and been a board member since the volunteer program’s inception in 1998. In 2006 she became the first recipient of Universal Orlando’s annual President’s Volunteer of the Year Award.

This week Geary-Gibson will be presenting the $10,000 check and giving her time to a group she has worked closely with for several years – the students at Eccleston Elementary School in Orange County. Since 2002, Universal Orlando team members have had a presence at Eccleston, helping in classrooms and mentoring to young students.

“The love and support of the Universal Orlando volunteers has been angelic, continuous and historic,” says Ruth Haniff, who served as principal of Eccleston Elementary School from January 1998 to July 2008. “The support helped us to soar from an ‘F’ in 2002 to a ‘B’ in 2003 and an ‘A’ in 2004 on the FCAT.”

Eccleston is just one of the special projects that Universal Orlando team members are spearheading this week. A Gift For Teaching, Children’s Home Society, Junior Achievement and Give Kids the World are all organizations where Universal Orlando team members will be volunteering.