Walt Disney World Donates $1.3 Million and Sends Goofy to Central Florida Schools Ahead of Cool KIDS' SUMMER

Walt Disney World is launching Cool KIDS' SUMMER with a $1.3 million donation to all five Central Florida school districts, surprise Goof Troop visits to elementary schools across Orange, Osceola, Lake, Polk, and Seminole counties, and complimentary theme park tickets for teachers. The resort-wide kids' takeover runs May 26 through September 8, 2026, with a new GoofyCore experience debuting at EPCOT.

Walt Disney World is closing out the school year with one of its biggest hometown gestures of 2026 — a $1.3 million donation to Central Florida education programs, surprise visits from Goofy and the Goof Troop to local elementary schools, and complimentary park tickets handed out to teachers ahead of Cool KIDS' SUMMER, the resort's family-focused summer takeover.

Elementary school students play limbo with Disney characters during a Cool KIDS' SUMMER school visit in Central Florida — Local students showed off their best limbo moves during the Cool KIDS' SUMMER school surprise.

The campaign covers all five Central Florida counties Walt Disney World pulls its workforce from — Orange, Osceola, Lake, Polk, and Seminole — and lands ahead of Cool KIDS' SUMMER's official run from May 26 through September 8, 2026. It's a familiar Disney playbook: tie a marquee parks event to a meaningful community gesture, then let the photos speak for themselves.

Children play with a colorful parachute during a Disney-themed Cool KIDS' SUMMER school activity — Pre-K and kindergarten classes got a preview of GoofyCore at EPCOT through hands-on, parachute-fueled play.

The Goof Troop Drops Into Local Elementary Schools

The school visits doubled as a sneak peek of GoofyCore, a new offering coming to EPCOT as part of Cool KIDS' SUMMER. Pre-K and kindergarten classes were the first to experience the goofy-themed activities, with the Goof Troop turning up to lead the silliness alongside Goofy himself.

Disney describes the day as "zany, wacky, and downright goofy," with the troop helping their pal Goofy "get things moving and grooving." For a lot of these kids, it was the first time meeting a costumed Disney character outside of a TV screen — a not-small detail in the lead-up to the resort's busiest family-traffic stretch of the year.

Teachers take a group selfie with Goofy after a Cool KIDS' SUMMER appreciation event at a Central Florida elementary school — After the final bell, teachers and school staff posed for selfies with Goofy at an after-hours appreciation event.

But the day didn't end at dismissal. After students went home, Disney invited teachers, administrators, and school staff to stick around for an extra round of games — and to receive complimentary Walt Disney World theme park tickets for their families. It's the kind of recognition that's hard to put a price tag on for educators wrapping up another long school year.

Elementary students cheering at a Cool KIDS' SUMMER school visit in Orange County, Florida — Disney's school visits brought the energy of Cool KIDS' SUMMER directly into Orlando-area classrooms.

A $1.3 Million Donation Spread Across Five Districts

The bigger story is the cash. Disney's $1.3 million donation supports all five Central Florida school districts directly, plus a roster of long-running education nonprofits and arts programs.

Where the Funding Lands

Elevate Orlando — student mentoring and life-skills programming
A Gift for Teaching — free classroom supplies for area educators
Orlando Philharmonic Young People's Concert — live orchestral performances for school audiences
Disney Musicals in Schools — staged through the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts

The donation underwrites STEM, literacy, and arts education — the three buckets that historically take the biggest hit when school budgets get squeezed. For a region whose tourism economy depends on Walt Disney World, the partnership reads as both philanthropy and self-interest: many of the kids in those classrooms are the children of Disney Cast Members.

Goofy gives a high-five to a young elementary school student during a Cool KIDS' SUMMER school visit — Goofy delivered high-fives — and high energy — to students across all five participating counties.

What This Means for Disney World Visitors

For families heading to Walt Disney World this summer, Cool KIDS' SUMMER runs from May 26 through September 8, 2026, with GoofyCore at EPCOT, character-driven activities across all four parks, and the resort-wide kid-first programming Disney has been previewing since spring. If the school visits are any indication, Goofy and the Goof Troop are about to become the unofficial mascots of Disney World's summer.