Disney Makes Dream Come True for Coronado Girl

As published in the Coronado Eagle & Journal on May 23rd, 2007.

While Bailee Davis was helping her team win the softball championship on May 17^th, she had no idea what a Coronado parent, a New York Times reporter, and a Disney executive were working on for her. In February of this year Bailee lost her mother, Shawna Davis, after a heart operation. Her father, Lee Davis, a Chief Petty Officer at Naval Station North Island, couldn’t afford a ticket to the “Pirates of the Caribbean” 3 Premier at Disneyland which Bailee wanted to attend.

A friend of the Davis family, Suzette Valle, found out about Bailee’s dream and set out to make it happen. “Though this would not lessen the sadness of losing her mom” said Mrs. Valle, “I thought it would strengthen her spirit to know someone cares about her.”

However, there was a small problem; the price of a ticket for this premier was $1,500 each and the whole event was underwritten by Disney as a fundraiser to benefit the Make-A-Wish Foundation. “I didn’t have this amount lying around in a tin can behind the cookie jar, so I had to try another way to make this dream come true for Bailee” said Valle.

Valle went on to say she had been trying for several months to obtain these tickets: called radio stations, entered web contests, and contacted concierge services all to no avail. Two days before the event, she had almost given up. As a last attempt, she called a friend to get some advice on how to proceed.  New York Times reporter Sharon Waxman and Suzette Valle attended Oxford University together, and when Suzette called Sharon to tell her about Bailee’s loss and what she had unsuccessfully tried to do, she immediately felt compelled to help.

“Hollywood has a heart, so I’ll give it a try”, said Waxman. A phone call to the Disney Company set the wheels in motion, and in a short 24 hours the executive’s search for unused tickets resulted in Disney purchasing three tickets for Bailee to attend!  When the Disney executive was asked why they decided to donate these tickets she said, “Disney really wanted to help this little girl, and we are glad we could do it.”

“Originally, the idea was just to be able to sit behind a barricade and watch the movie stars go by, and maybe get an autograph.”

Of course, Disney went a step beyond. “When I read the letter they sent me over night, I was shocked to read that walking the red carpet was also part of the tickets!” said Mrs. Valle.

The premier was held at Disneyland Park, in Anaheim, California on Saturday, May 19^th, 2007 amid a star studded event which included Pirates cast members Johnny Depp and Orlando Bloom, along with many other celebrities.

Johnny Depp walking by before the movie. “Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End” Premier.

Bailee and her friend Bianca Valle are the most ardent Pirates of the Caribbean fans to walk our streets, and all three were on the red carpet and attended a pre-screening party before watching the movie on a giant screen.

This was more than just a dream, this was a dream touched by that special Disney magic!