Los Angeles, CA, USA (March 3, 2016) — During Bob Iger’s opening remarks at the Disney shareholders meeting held in Walt Disney’s hometown of Chicago, The Walt Disney Company made a $250,000 pledge to the restoration of The Walt Disney Birthplace.
“Chicago holds a special place in the history of The Walt Disney Company,” Iger stated during the meeting,”The Disney story actually started here…in a house on Tripp Avenue, where Walt Disney was born. The house is still standing at the corner of Tripp and Palmer in Hermosa, and it means a lot to us to see the effort to restore it back to its original condition….and to hear that it will one day be a children’s creativity center, inspiring future generations of young dreamers and innovators.”
The Walt Disney Birthplace issued the following statement regarding the pledge: “The Center for Early Childhood Creativity and Innovation at The Walt Disney Birthplace would like to thank The Walt Disney Company for their incredible support of our restoration efforts. Walt Disney is one of the most enduring portraits of The American Dream. The ‘worker’s cottage,’ built by his father and designed by his mother, where Walt and Roy were born, symbolizes the story of their humble beginnings to the formation of one of the most creative, innovative and beloved companies in the world. Bob Iger’s acknowledgment of The Walt Disney Birthplace fuels our mission of enabling young children and their families to see that the world is full of possibilities and wonder. With their own creativity and innovation, any child can achieve The American Dream.”