Disney Highlights $2.5M Blue Star Families Donation

The Walt Disney Company is highlighting its previously announced $2.5 million donation to Blue Star Families as part of America’s 250th anniversary celebration. Disney says the donation will help create special events and movie screenings for U.S. military families nationwide during the semiquincentennial.

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Disney and Blue Star Families event at the Library of Congress Blue Star Books and Welcome Kits What the Welcome Kits support Related Disney coverage

The update also centers on a major Blue Star Books event Disney and Blue Star Families hosted on Sunday, May 17, 2026, at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. Disney described it as the largest activation to date for the partnership and the 25th Blue Star Books event since Disney and Blue Star Families first joined forces in 2011.

Disney and Blue Star Families event at the Library of Congress

Military families at the Library of Congress event were welcomed by Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Buzz Lightyear, Woody, Belle, and Sofia the First. Disney VoluntEARS invited children to choose from thousands of donated Disney and National Geographic books, and each child also received a Mickey Mouse plush.

Disney says families experienced a special story time with Belle in the world’s largest library for military children. The event also included coloring and Toy Story-themed crafts.

Kathy Roth-Douquet, CEO of Blue Star Families, said Disney has been a trusted partner to military families for years by creating moments of joy, connection, and belonging for families who serve alongside U.S. service members.

Blue Star Books and Welcome Kits

Disney has supported the Blue Star Books program since 2011. According to Disney, the company has donated more than 370,000 books to enrich military families at military bases across the country. Recent events included visits to Camp Pendleton Marine Corps Base in Oceanside, California, and Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam in Hawaii.

During National Military Appreciation Month in May, Disney VoluntEARS at Disney locations nationwide are assembling 4,000 Welcome Kits for military families. Disney says Blue Star Families and Disney developed the Welcome Kits program in 2024 for active-duty military families who move to new duty stations frequently because of military life.

Disney says cast members assembled 2,000 Welcome Kits at Disney’s Yacht Club at Walt Disney World Resort on May 5. Disneyland Resort Disney VoluntEARS packaged another 1,000 kits on May 13. Disney VoluntEARS then gathered in Washington, D.C., on May 14 to prepare an additional 1,000 kits with help from Capitol Hill members and staff.

What the Welcome Kits support

The Welcome Kits prepared on Capitol Hill were distributed to military families during the Library of Congress event on May 17. Disney says the remaining kits will be delivered to Blue Star Families chapters and distributed to their members around the country.

The 4,000 kits created during May nearly doubled all Welcome Kits made to date, bringing the total to more than 7,000 kits assembled since the program began. Disney says additional kits will be created later in 2026.

Disney also notes that active-duty military families are called Blue Star Families because of the tradition of displaying a service flag with a blue star for each family member serving in the U.S. Armed Forces.

Source: The Walt Disney Company