Our friends, Pam NDM #317, Rikki NDW #52, & Mike NDD #163, over at Be Our Guest WDW Podcast & Magical Mouse Radio are hosting their 5th annual 12 hour live fundraiser for Give Kids the World Village on June 11th from 11 AM to 11 PM. They have a goal of $10,000 to help fulfill the wishes of all children with life-threatening illnesses and their families to experience a cost free visit to the Central Florida attractions.
Rikki Niblett took a little time out to answer some questions about the upcoming event. Please check them out as they try to help out an excellent organization and deserving children.
1. What is the Be Our Guest Podcast 12 Hour Live Show all about?
The Be Our Guest Podcast 12 Hour Live Show is a special presentation of our podcast. We obviously record for 12 hours straight, as well as play the show live on our radio station, www.magicalmouseradio.com.
The show’s main purpose though is that we raise money for the charity Give Kids The World, a non-profit organization that exists to fulfill the wishes of children who have life-threatening illnesses, as well as their families. Give Kids the World allows these families to experience a memorable, joyful, and best of all, cost-free vacation to Central Florida attractions.
This year, the podcast’s goal this year is to raise $10,000 for the well-deserving charity. We know it’s going to be hard, but every little donation helps.
The live show itself will include special Disney community celebrities (people you know and love), give-aways, and lots of fun Disney talk. Surprises always abound. You never know what the day will bring.
This year’s Be Our Guest Podcast 12 Hour Live Show will take place on Wednesday, June 11, from 11 a.m. EST/11 p.m. EST.
2. Please tell us about the organization you have selected, Give Kids the World Village, and why you picked them for your benefit?
I mean, how can you not? It’s an amazing organization and getting the chance to help fulfill a child’s wish is the best feeling ever. Not only are you helping the child, but you are helping the whole family. Everyone is affected when a child in the family has a life-threatening illness. This gifted trip allows them to have fun together, as a family, and hopefully forget, if even for a second, like doctor’s visits, worrying about everything, etc.
The Village has welcomed over 120,000 families, since it’s inception in 1986. It’s promise is to never turn a child away. Raising money with things like this show is key in keeping that promise.
3. How did this benefit originally come to fruition and how would you like to see it grow?
Five years ago, we decided to start this journey of a 12 Hour Live Show and we knew we wanted to raise money during it. Give Kids the World was a natural fit, given the fact that they help children have a magically vacation and it’s strong tie to the Florida theme parks. It was honestly a no-brainer. We decided almost immediately that during these 12 hour live shows, we would raise money for Give Kids The World.
That first year, I was blown away by people’s generosity. I think I set the bar exceptionally low that first year, hoping to raise, something like $500. (We were a new podcast back then and we honestly didn’t know how a project like this would go.) Immediately, the outpouring of donations from out amazing listeners started to pour in and I had to change the goal on the fly because it was going to be met easily. I changed to to $1000 and we still almost doubled that goal.
From there, I’ve continually set the bar higher and higher, as far as our goal to raise for each live show. What’s amazing is that over the past four years, our fantastic listeners have helped us raise over $25,000 for this well-deserving charity. Given how incredibly generous our listeners and the Disney community is overall, we have decided to try for the very lofty goal of raising $10,000. It’s going to be extremely hard. I know it. But with the support of the community doing things like sharing the event via social media, as well as other media, like here on this blog, we can meet our goal. (I hope!)
My goal overall to see the live show grow, is to continue to be able to set that donation goal higher and higher each year. The more money we can help raise, the better. (Also, I would some day like to be able to interview Neil Patrick Harris during one of these live shows…if anyone has the hook up, let me know! 🙂 )
4. How can people listen to the live event and donate to Give Kids the World Village on June 11th?
There are a couple of ways to listen. The first is via www.magicalmouseradio.com. However, often the radio station fills to capacity that day, so we have a second option at www.mixlr.com/beourguestmike.
To donate, that’s certainly simple enough. You can head to http://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/beourguestpodcast/twelvehourliveshow2014 or you can head to the Be Our Guest Podcast’s home page and see the FirstGiving widget on the right hand side and simply click on that.
Donations made to FirstGiving are done in a secure manner and is incredibly simple to do. Any amount donated is a help. Even if you can only donate $5. It can make a difference in a young child’s life.
5. If there are people that cannot listen or give on June 11th, how can they still participate?
First of all, the FirstGiving page will be up for a while after the event, so if you just can’t make a donation that day, there will still be time.
For those that would like to listen to the Live Show, it will be re-broadcast, piece by piece (with the main focus being on with the interviews with the Disney community celebrities) throughout the year. So, if you don’t listen to the show, go ahead right now and sign up to subscribe to it, so you won’t miss out on these fun interviews throughout the year. 🙂
6. Finally, please let us know when and how we can listen to the Be Our Guest Podcasts and Magical Mouse Radio.
To listen to Magical Mouse Radio, visit www.magicalmouseradio.com. Magical Mouse Radio, is a great radio station anyway, if you aren’t already listening to it. We play great in-park audio, as well as great Disney music 24/7. (Well, usually….minus days we have live shows.)
If you want to listen to the podcast, you can find it in iTunes, on Stitcher, and more, just by searching Be Our Guest Podcast Or, you can listen from the website, which is www.beourguestpodcast.com Also, you can Like our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/beourguestpodcast and we’ll post links to each episode there. We are a fun-loving group and we have three shows a week. On Monday, we typically do a Trip Report show with a guest, on Wednesday, we answer your listener questions, and Fridays are a general random show, where we discuss a Disney topic. We just love talking Disney.
We really hope that you all will help us as we raise money for this incredible charity. If you would like to learn more about Give Kids The World, visit their website at www.givekidstheworld.org. Make sure you’re there for all the fun, on June 11, from 11 a.m. EST-11 p.m. EST.
I am a proud husband and father of three, 2 girls & 1 boy. Disney enthusiast since first trip to WDW in 1986. I love finding new ways to pass the Disney craze on to my children and learning new and fun Disney facts. My favorite Disney World memory is the first time I let my son drive a Tomorrowland Speedway car – nonstop laughter from the both of us!