Weekend Challenge Seeks $50,000 to Kickstart First Immersive Room in Historic Walt Disney Birthplace, Bringing the Family’s Early Dreams to Life Through Projection Mapping
Chicago, IL (August 13, 2025) – The Walt Disney Birthplace is setting its sights on turning the impossible into the possible with an ambitious goal: raise $250,000 to bring a Disney Family Experience to life through Projection Mapping. This initiative will transform the very home where Walt and Roy Disney dreamed their first dreams into a fully immersive, sensory experience unlike anything else in historic preservation.
This is more than just another museum. This is a shared transformational experience of a global icon. There will be no velvet ropes. Instead, visitors will step into the story.
Through state-of-the-art short throw projections and custom animation, each room will transport guests back to the years 1893 to 1906. You’ll hear the sounds of a bustling neighborhood. See images of the famous Columbian World Expo. Smell the scent of fresh-baked apple pie wafting from the kitchen. Listen to Elias Disney’s violin as it fills the parlor. The heartbeat of this family home, alive with possibility, will surround you.
“It’s about inspiring people the way Walt and Roy were inspired here,” said Dina Benadon, Co-Founder of the Walt Disney Birthplace. “This isn’t just history on display; it’s a chance to feel it, to live it, and to carry that magic forward.”
The $250,000 starting goal will fund the transformation of the home into an immersive, multi-sensory journey and debut the next era of this national treasure. To launch the effort, the non-profit is initiating a special Weekend Challenge: raise $50,000 in just four days (August 21-24th) Meeting this target will fund the first immersive room; the first giant step tFundoward bringing the entire house to life.
“This weekend challenge is more than just a fundraising milestone,” added Walt Disney Birthplace Ambassador Angel Reyes, “it’s proof to our community of Chicago, our donors, and our supporters that together we can make the dream a reality. Everyone loves the underdog…and this is our chance to win big for history, creativity, and the next generation of dreamers.”
Donations to the non-profit 501c3 can be made at https://givebutter.com/c/1901. Every contribution …big or small… helps open the front door to history and step right into the place where dreams began.
About The Walt Disney Birthplace – Located in Chicago’s Hermosa neighborhood, The Walt Disney Birthplace is the historic home where Walt Disney was born in 1901. The home is being meticulously restored to its original state by a passionate nonprofit team, with the goal of inspiring future generations through the story of Walt’s humble beginnings.
Media Contact: Christina Henricksen | Contact@TheWaltDisneyBirthplace.org
