Lynn sixth-grader gives a little, gets a lot out of Disney trip

LYNN – Pickering Middle School sixth-grader Victoria Glidden got hooked on volunteering when she was elected a Red Sox Kid Nation captain in 2008 and her philanthropic addiction won her a free trip and the royal treatment at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Fla.Glidden, 12, recently returned from Disney, where she, her family and more than other 100 families from across the country were recognized as part of Disney Parks’ “Give a Day, Get a Disney Day” program.”I won the trip by my volunteer work I did with the Red Sox,” Glidden said. “The volunteering I did was a coat drive for kids who needed them in the winter and then I did a backpack drive for kids going into middle school.”The volunteer program was created in an effort to inspire 1 million people to volunteer a day of service to organizations in their communities. To celebrate the good work of the volunteers, each one receives a theme park ticket to the Disneyland Resort or Walt Disney World Resort for free.There was a recognition ceremony for the volunteers and, according Glidden’s grandmother Debra, there were dozens of television cameras and audience members. She said Victoria told her she felt “like a rockstar.””The ceremony was amazing,” Victoria Glidden said. “They had all the parents and kids who won and it was really nice. My aunt, my grandma and my two cousins (were with me). I felt really happy during the ceremony because there were lots of other families who could have won this trip and I was really psyched that we were one of them.”While in Florida, the Glidden’s experienced some cold, rainy weather, but she said the trip was fun and she was excited to attend the Joe Jonas/Demi Lovato concert.”I was just screaming and jumping up and down,” Victoria said. “My favorite part of the trip was probably meeting Joe Jonas because I was just really happy that I got to see him.”Victoria said she also had fun in the several theme parks she and her family got to visit.”We went to Animal Kingdom and Magic Kingdom and I went on some rides,” she said. “I probably liked Space Mountain the most. It goes really fast and it’s dark and it goes upside down.Although a free ticket to Disney was great incentive to keep up the volunteer work, it is Victoria’s desire to help that causes her push on, and she hopes to inspire others to do the same.”The message I have for kids my age and why they should volunteer is, you know what, if you were a kid who was in need, you would want somebody to help you too, so put down the remote, get outside and see what you can do to make a difference in the world,” she said.Click here to view a video of Victoria’s trip.To learn more about Disney Parks’ “Give a Day, Get a Disney Day,” visit www.disneyparks.com