The long awaited dream vacation has finally happened — Acorn Coffee employee Kathryn Thompson and her family, including her son Jeff, his wife Tonia and their two sons Jeremy and Joshua, made their trip to “the happiest place on Earth” over the Martin Luther King Jr. Day weekend.
Last September, Elon University junior Taylor Zisholtz and freshman Lucy Smith-Williams raised money to send Acorn Coffee employee Kathryn Thompson and her family on their dream vacation to Disney World.
The GoFundMe page raised more than $10,000 and Ellen DeGeneres matched that amount during their appearance with Thompson on The Ellen DeGeneres Show with Thompson, allowing for an unforgetable adventure.
“They will never know how much this means to me,” Thompson said in a Disney Parks blog post.
During the trip, the Thompson family stayed at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge and was able to experience the entire park. Thompson’s family dined “under the sea” in the Coral Reef Restaurant at Epcot, had a special visit from Mickey Mouse and friends in Magic Kingdom and saw animals on safari in Disney’s Animal Kingdom.
The highlight of this trip of a lifetime was meeting all of the characters and seeing the Lion King show at the Animal Kingdom, according to Zisholtz
“The family was extremely appreciative for everything that they were given,” Zisholtz said. “They were thrilled with everything that was done for them, and that made it all that much better to be a part of.”
Though they had already finished raising money, both Zisholtz and Smith-Williams were still involved in planning the trip.
Every aspect of the vacation was planned in advance with the help of the Disney team, so the trip could be as carefree as possible. Every meal, reservation, FastPass schedule and character meet-and-greet were planned for them. Flights were booked, a daily itinerary was created and spending money was divided by day, meal and location.
“I am no Disney whiz, and if it wasn’t for the incredible kindness, patience and hard work from the folks at Disney, this trip would never have been this successful,” Zisholtz said. “They were so genuinely interested in this story and this family and did everything they could possibly do to make this trip incredible.”
According to Zisholtz, “Disney magic” came through and planned for her and Smith-Williams to surprise the Thompsons and join them for part of their weekend. Together they hung out with characters, shrieked through rides and munched down on themed meals.
Though they got to join in on the trip, Zisholtz believes the greatest part of the trip was watching the Thompson family come together and experience all of the happiness.
“It was so special to see our efforts pay off,” she said.
Zisholtz and Smith-Williams watched Thompson’s grandsons’ faces lighting up as they walked through Magic Kingdom and gave Mickey Mouse and Goofy hugs. The girls personally enjoyed traveling through Animal Kingdom because it was what the Thompson family enjoyed the most.
“Getting to know Joshua and Jeremy has been so great — they are such special, sweet boys and to see them so happy was one of the greatest moments to witness,” Zisholtz said. “I couldn’t imagine having a better experience.”