"I immediately thought of the Eystad family," said Dixon. "She sent me an application and we sent it back and within two hours, they were approved. Disney is inviting one family from every state and Katelyn and her family are the only ones selected from New Jersey. This is a big day in the volunteer world and we're so proud the Eystad family will represent our state."
Katelyn Eystad created the Angels of God clothing closet last year Ð a space filled with clothing organized by gender and size, stuffed toys, accessories like shoes and purses and other household items. The closet accepts and distributes all sizes of clothing, from child to adult, as well as other items from the community and is open to those in need on Mondays and Wednesdays from 4 to 6 p.m.
Katelyn, mother Elissa and sisters Brenna and Lindsay dedicate many hours each week to organizing drop-offs and helping people find the items they need. The whole family was shocked to hear the news that they'd be heading off on the all-expenses-paid trip to Orlando in February.
"I came home from school and my mom had a ÔCongratulations' cake from the Pitman Bakery and I had no clue what was going on," said Katelyn. "It was a huge surprise. It's been a few years since we've been to Disney and back then I was too short to ride some of the rides so I'm excited about going on them. And, on one of the days, we'll have the opportunity to do volunteer work with the other families that were chosen from across the country."
Katelyn said she looked forward to meeting people from all over the United States who shared her family's interests and also finally riding the Rock Ôn' Roller Coaster at MGM during the four-days, three-nights trip.
"It's a great opportunity to get together with these other families and see what they've done and share ideas," said Elissa. "I was shocked and surprised and I'm so proud that she started this and it's gotten as big as it has. We've served more than 200 families so far."
Lindsay, 17, and Brenna, 8, often help out at the closet and are eagerly looking forward to the trip as well.
"When people bring in bags of clothes, we organize them by size and arrange them," said Lindsay. "I think the closet has been really good for the community because everyone needs help sometimes. I was in shock that she got picked out of all the people in New Jersey and I'm excited."
"I can't wait to see Minnie Mouse," added Brenna.
The Angels of God Closet is also now part of Disney's "Give a Day. Get a Disney Day." program which offers volunteers a one-day, one-theme-park ticket to Disneyland or Walt Disney World for their service. Volunteers can search for opportunities and sign up at http://disneyparks.disney.go.com.
Katelyn and Elissa said they thought that program was a wonderful way to show new volunteers all the opportunities available and hopefully get them hooked on lifelong service.
The Closet's most recent initiative is Project Comfort and Joy.
"Basically, we're collecting stuffed animals and sleeping bags for children in shelters to make the transition from their homes to the shelters a little less scary," said Katelyn.
"Every little bit helps," added Elissa. "We've had such a great response from all over Gloucester County and I thought at some point it would fizzle out a little, but it hasn't. We continue to get so much community support."
To find out more about Angels of God and how you can help, visit the Web site at www.angelsofgod.org.
