Actor Gary Sinise took over 1,000 children of fallen soldiers to Disneyland, free of charge. .see more below👇👇

He kept showing up every year after that. But by 2017, the whole thing had outgrown what one actor and one band could carry alone.

That year, the Gary Sinise Foundation officially took it over and gave it a name: Snowball Express.

In 2018, the destination changed for good. The retreat left California behind entirely and moved to Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida — where it’s been held every year since.

So the photo you’ve probably seen captioned “Disneyland” hasn’t matched reality in almost a decade.

Since the Foundation took the reins, more than 17,000 children of fallen military heroes and fallen first responders — along with their surviving parent or guardian — have gone through the five-day healing retreat. And the number keeps climbing every year.

In December 2024 alone, the Foundation flew in more than 1,700 family members from over 90 cities, some traveling from as far as Europe and Guam.

American Airlines donates the flights each year, staffed by an all-volunteer crew who show up before sunrise just to be part of it. Some of them come back for it year after year.