Everyone has arrived!

The weather in Orlando today was absolutely gorgeous.  The sun was shining and the temperatures were in the 60s and 70s.

We were so excited to welcome families from Michigan, Iowa, Ohio, New York, California, North Carolina, Missouri, Illinois, Texas, West Virginia, and Florida.

Our volunteers and staff have come from Michigan, Florida, Minnesota, Georgia, North Carolina, and New York ready and excited to serve these families and make this trip one they will cherish forever.

Several of the families had never flown before and today they experienced a flight to the most magical place on earth. These families were not only greeted by a Mickey statue at the main atrium at baggage claim but also by our caring volunteers in yellow Inheritance of Hope shirts.  The families will soon know these faces very well!

The Contis, Dodsons, Hampton-Adkins, Fortins and Byers came to town in the past few days and have already visited Universal Studios and/or Sea World.  We welcomed them in the hotel lobby and directed them through the beautiful Coronado Resort to their room for a little bit of rest before dinner.

Tonight we hosted a Pasta Dinner at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort.  This was an opportunity for the runners who are running for Inheritance of hope in the Disney 5k (Friday), half marathon (Saturday), and full marathon (Sunday) to meet the families they are running for.  These runners raised support for Inheritance of Hope to make this Legacy Retreat possible.  They were all very excited to meet the families!

Following the pasta dinner, the adults were able to break into two groups to share their stories with each other.  As they exited the session it was clear that relationships were forming. I know that many of them really benefit from this time together.

While the adults were sharing, the children were split up by age into three groups for some fun activities and sharing.  They are working through a curriculum that was created by our children’s counselor, Meg Hill that includes a Legacy Workbook.  These workbooks will be filled in through the weekend and then the children will be able to share them with their parents at the conclusion of the Legacy Retreat.

There is no doubt, everyone was exhausted after this long day of travel and fun.  We will all rest well tonight and look forward to our full day in the Disney Parks tomorrow.

Until then…..Have a Magical Night!

For more pictures and video clips please visit our online community called “Fans of 2011 Disney Legacy Retreat”.