The energy was electric on Wednesday evening as we kicked off the first day of our once-in-a-lifetime magical journey! Like the true VIPs that they are, the 2020 Bert’s Big Adventure families arrived at the Hilton Atlanta Airport hotel in complete luxury, thanks to the meticulous planning of our sweet friend, Ally, at Fur Bus!

After getting settled into their rooms, the kiddos were surprised with a custom set of Mickey ears lovingly crafted and created by Ears of Magic by Brooke and featuring some of their favorite characters! The 2020 family members gathered to mingle and dine on a delicious meal from Jersey Mike’s Subs followed by a Haagen-Dazs ice cream social in a gorgeous space decorated by Holland Musico of Balloonacy. The Bert’s Big Adventure kids were entertained with music by DJ Jobe because of course, there had to be music and our first official dance party of the trip!

SURPRISE! Right before bedtime, Bert made a few major announcements! Mattress Firm generously donated a new mattress and box spring to each Bert’s Big Adventure family! Eco Tech Services, Northwest Georgia’s Surface Cleaning Specialists, is donating a carpet cleaning service to each of our Georgia-based families! Kendra Scott and Georgia’s Own Credit Union teamed up to bring in a  jewelry-making station for each Bert’s Big Adventure child and mom to build custom pieces!

We also had Carter’s Charitable Foundation on hand to treat each of our kiddos to an over-the-top gift bag. Sweet twins, Hatton and Reagan, were in attendance to hand out pajamas that they lovingly collected for each kiddo. We closed the evening with a Magic Show with Ken Scott before sending the families off to bed for a good night’s rest.

We would never be able to do this without the Hilton Atlanta Airport hotel! The hotel donates all of our event spaces, along with an overnight stay for every Bert’s Big Adventure family! THANK YOU!

Make sure to follow all of the magical moments as they happen with the hashtag #BBA2020 and #MagicalMoments, or on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook!

Remember, we couldn’t do all of this without you! We’re asking our supporters to give just $5 or more! Every dollar you donate to Bert’s Big Adventure between now and the end of February will be matched by our buds at Zaxby’s. $5 from you + $5 from Zaxby’s = $10 that can truly make a difference in the lives of these very deserving children. Please donate today.

The day has finally arrived because tomorrow…. we head to Walt Disney World!