Nashville, TN -- The Gary Sinise Foundation, established in 2011 by Actor and Humanitarian Gary Sinise to support our Nation’s veterans, heroes, first responders, defenders and their families who have sacrificed so much, announced today the expansion of the Foundation’s Snowball Express initiative to now include the families of our fallen first responders. The expansion comes as the Foundation continues its outreach around the country and seeing first-hand the powerful impact of healing and community these events bring to our families of fallen military heroes.
This year, their Snowball Express Disney in December for the families of our fallen military heroes at WDW will be held December 2-6, 2023, while Disney in December for our fallen first responder families will be held the following weekend from December 9-13, 2023. Video from SBE 2022 can be viewed here.
The Gary Sinise Foundation supports thousands of families of our fallen military heroes year-round through empowerment workshops and regional community events, culminating with an all-expenses paid, five-day experience at WDW where family members spend time together; honoring their fallen loved ones while cultivating relationships and making special memories together in a safe, warm and welcoming environment.
The origins of Snowball Express date back to 2003 when a fallen service member, U.S. Army Private First-Class Jesse Givens, wrote a letter to his wife before he left for his deployment to Iraq that was only to be opened if he lost his life defending our country. That letter conveyed how much Private First-Class Givens loved his family, along with a list of activities for the family to do, including visiting Disney theme parks. That wish would eventually come true when they, and other families of fallen military heroes, visited Disneyland in 2006. Mr. Sinise got involved with Snowball Express a year later in 2007 when he volunteered his band, the Lt. Dan Band, to perform for these special families. Becoming an official Gary Sinise Foundation program in 2017, the first annual Snowball Express Disney in December event at Walt Disney World Resort occurred in 2018.
“Over the years, I have met so many incredible first responders across the nation, true heroes. These selfless heroes are why it was important to me to create the first Responder Outreach program at the Gary Sinise Foundation. While our hearts are heavy at the circumstances that will bring these families together, I am grateful we are able to grow our Snowball Express program to now include our incredible families of first responders, remembering their loved ones who are no longer with us. These families have sacrificed so much, and it is our honor to be with them as they continue their healing journey through the expansion of Snowball Express,” said Actor and Humanitarian Gary Sinise.
The expansion of GSF’s Snowball Express initiative to include our fallen first responder families is made possible through the generous support of our corporate and non-profit partners, including a recent $2 million gift from the David and Sherry Cordani Family Foundation to support GSF programs, including Snowball Express community events around the country. Recently, the Gary Sinise Foundation welcomed about 25 first responder widows from around the country on a New York City Adventure, where they enjoyed one-of-kind experiences around New York City in an environment that supports their healing journey.
Since Snowball Express came to WDW in 2018, nearly 4,000 children of fallen military heroes and their surviving parent/guardian have participated in the annual Disney in December event with last year’s being the Foundation’s largest gathering yet with more than 1,850 loved ones coming from more than 500 cities around the country and overseas through presenting sponsor American Airlines, which flies the families in on special charter flights and will also support our first responder families.
For more information about the Gary Sinise Foundation and to learn more about Snowball Express and how families can get involved, please visit www.garysinisefoundation.org.
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About The Gary Sinise Foundation
The Gary Sinise Foundation was established under the philanthropic direction of award-winning actor and humanitarian Gary Sinise, who has been an advocate of our nation's defenders for nearly 40 years. The Gary Sinise Foundation's mission is to serve our country by honoring our defenders, veterans, first responders, their families, and those in need. The Foundation's four programmatic pillars are our way of "doing a little more" for those who sacrifice so much for our country. As our Founder and Chairman Gary Sinise always says, "While we can never do enough for our defenders and their loved ones, we can always do a little more." That spirit of service is the bedrock of all of the Foundation's programs, which include R.I.S.E. (Restoring Independence Supporting Empowerment) Program, Relief and Resiliency Program, Community and Education Program, the First Responders Outreach Program. For more information, please visit GarySiniseFoundation.org.
