A Very Special Request

This is a story inspired by my Disneyland annual pass expiring this week.

Once upon a time, there was an urban planning firm that fell on hard times when the going got tough. As the founding partners were very concerned about their pending retirements (I can understand that) they decided to layoff wave after wave of some of the most talented people this senior planner has ever worked with. The people have served the firm for years and were let go without warning or severance checks. The hope was that things would get better. But things did not get better.

So one day, the wave finally washed over this senior planner that had a theme park fetish and a blog.

Disappointed and frightened about the future, the senior planner turned to an amazing resource in Pasadena called Women at Work. For more than 30 years this astonishing non-profit job and career resource center has aided thousands to get back on their feet, help them become productive, and give them back some of their dignity. In turn, these people would give back to the organization to help others in need. It reminded him of the spirit of Walt Disney where people of different talents would come together to create something bigger than themselves in the quest for something truly meaningful.

The senior planner was overwhelmed. He would take classes, look for job leads, and network with his peers at Women at Work (yes men can use the facility as well) only to discover that some of these people would be returning to their cars where they slept because they no longer could afford to live in a house. Although he was blessed with many advantages, he felt inadequate to address the incredible need that he saw. After all, we now live in a country where employers find those over 50 to be expendable and unnecessary. Or as Scrooge would say, “The surplus population.”

So he looked at his Disneyland annual pass, which had just expired, and knew that his priority was to his family and those around him who were in greater need. His loyalty was not to the promotion of The Walt Disney Company. As much as he liked to write about the parks and Walt Disney’s impact on the built environment, he could not justify the cost of admission at this time. What to do?

He decided he would turn to the most amazing virtual community and see if they could help. First came Chad with an offer that this senior planner could not resist. A chance to write about Walt and history. The results will available to all to see in a new book in January. That planted the seed for much more to come, hopefully.

Then he got a little revenue generating writing gig from the folks over at TouringPlans to help pay the rent. Thank you Len. One of the funniest, smartest guys that he knows and father to one of the brightest kids he has ever met.

Never to sit still, he applied for a job at Universal Studios Hollywood to become a front line worker. They didn’t question his age, just tested abilities and enthusiasm. Plus, he gets to keep his beard. So now he has a minimum wage job at a theme park and couldn’t be more excited.

He also wanted to give a shoutout to the folks at PMC and RTKL who recognized what he had been doing professionally for the past dozen years and have tossed him a lifeline, which will hopefully blossom into much more. He has such profound respect for these people.

Finally, and this touched him in an incredible way, he heard from Dusty at MiceAge who offered him a chance to renew his pass if he would provide content for the greatest Disney fan site around. To say that this senior planner and wannabe writer was touched and flattered is an understatement.

He is still searching for that unicorn they call full-time work but he is thankful for what he has. That is his story. What does this mean?

So, for the month of December, Samland will be rerunning some of the videos that have been put together and maybe a few other surprises. I need to focus on finding full time work, and more importantly I want to raise money for Women at Work. There is a very real community of men and women that have come to rely on Women at Work to seek a better life for their families and to not be a burden on others. They are far more important than some touring tips or history and design lessons of a theme park. They need your help.

I know that times are very tough for everybody this year.

So I came with this plan to use this platform and to ask a favor from all of the wonderful readers who visit.

You will notice a DONATE button on the upper right hand corner. Everything you give will go to Women at Work. 100%. In January, I will start writing new content. But the need is now for this organization and I ask for your help.

I know you come here for light entertainment and not a dose of reality and I cannot express how difficult it is for me to resort to using this blog for such a selfish purpose but I cannot in good conscience write about a fantasy world brought to you by a major for-profit corporation when my heart is aching for those I encounter everyday at Women at Work. If you have any questions, please write me at Gennawey@yahoo.com.

Thank you,

Sam