10.30.2006 - 08:09pm ET

(CSRwire) LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 30, 2006--The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) President and CEO Robert A. Iger today presented to the Childrens Hospital Los Angeles a $5 million donation from The Walt Disney Company Foundation. The funds will go toward the construction of the new hospital building, slated to open in 2009, enabling the hospital to further provide the best care for seriously ill and injured children. The gift, presented to Los Angeles Mayor Antonio R. Villaraigosa and Childrens Hospital Los Angeles President and CEO Richard D. Cordova, is the largest donation ever made to Childrens Hospital Los Angeles by a corporate foundation.

"For all Disney does to brighten the lives of children around the world, helping to better the condition of seriously ill and injured kids is of considerable importance to us, especially here in our hometown of Los Angeles," said Iger. "All of us at Disney hope that this donation for the new inpatient building will help Childrens Hospital Los Angeles further enhance its already outstanding reputation for providing the best possible care to those in need."

"I am pleased to accept this generous gift from Disney on behalf of the children of Los Angeles," said Mayor Villaraigosa. "Childrens Hospital Los Angeles has been dedicated to serving the children of this City for more than a century, and this donation will allow it to continue its important work. With this generous contribution, Disney sets an excellent example for other corporations to give generously to their communities."

The Walt Disney Company is a longtime supporter of Childrens Hospital Los Angeles. In fact, the hospital's main entrance lobby, where today's gift was presented, was designed by Disney Imagineers. Childrens Hospital Los Angeles, along with all children's hospitals and pediatric wings across the country, also receives a fun-filled shipment of Disney DVDs, toys, blankets and other merchandise each year. Child Life Specialists share these items with the children who receive treatment. In addition to the company's support of hospitals, The Walt Disney Company donated more than $190 million in cash and in-kind support to worthy charities around the world last year to help children and families in need.

"The Walt Disney Company and Childrens Hospital share a commitment to the well-being of children, each in our own very special way, but it is natural that we work together to benefit the children and families of Los Angeles, and children everywhere," said Cordova. "We are enormously grateful to The Walt Disney Company Foundation for its support over the years, and particularly for its latest generosity for the new hospital building, truly a meaningful way to express its confidence in our physicians, nurses and other caregivers, our physician-scientists and researchers, and all who support the important work being done here."

The new hospital building, one of Childrens Hospital Los Angeles' institutional priorities, will be a state-of-the-art 460,000-square-foot inpatient facility. When completed in 2009, it will be one of the finest medical and surgical environments for children in need of care in the United States, and it will be a model family-centered environment in which children and their families can heal and learn together.

About Childrens Hospital Los Angeles

Founded in 1901, Childrens Hospital Los Angeles has been treating the most seriously ill and injured children in Los Angeles for more than a century, and it is acknowledged throughout the United States and around the world for its leadership in pediatric and adolescent health. Childrens Hospital is one of America's premier teaching hospitals, affiliated with the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California for more than 74 years. It is a national leader in pediatric research.

Since 1990, U.S. News & World Report and its panel of board-certified pediatricians have named Childrens Hospital Los Angeles one of the top pediatric facilities in the nation. Child magazine also ranked Childrens Hospital Los Angeles among the Top Ten children's hospitals in America in its February 2005 issue.

About The Walt Disney Company Foundation

The Walt Disney Company Foundation was established in 1951 by Walt and Roy O. Disney to serve philanthropic needs and interests and does so today along with Disney Worldwide Outreach, part of The Walt Disney Company. The Walt Disney Company's outreach initiatives are dedicated to making the wishes of families and children a reality through public service initiatives, community outreach and volunteerism in the areas of compassion, learning, the arts and the environment. To learn more about The Walt Disney Company Foundation and Disney's outreach programs, visit www.DisneyHand.com.

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CONTACT:

The Walt Disney Company
Paul Roeder, 818-560-6166
or
Office of Mayor Antonio R. Villaraigosa
Elizabeth Kivowitz, 213-978-0741
or
Childrens Hospital Los Angeles
Steve Rutledge, 323-669-4121

Copyright Business Wire 2006