To the world, FedEx delivers packages. To 10 children in the Youth Villages and Baptist Children's Village foster care programs, FedEx recently delivered a dream.

"This was the best day of my life," Kelvin, a Youth Villages foster child, said.

The children's last names are not used, as part of a Youth Villages policy to protect their privacy.

For the kids, a one-day trip to Disney World was a dream come true.

They went with a group of FedEx managers who had won a one-day trip on the FedEx corporate jet to anywhere in the United States. The managers had talked about using the corporate jet for some adult pursuits - maybe a trip to New York to see a Broadway play.

But then they decided they wanted to do something for the kids.

So on a sunny spring morning, the bright-eyed and excited group of foster kids between the ages of 7 and 14 arrived at the FedEx terminal at the Memphis International Airport.

For all of them, this was their first time

to fly, and some had mixed emotions about being high up in the air. But when the FedEx corporate jet arrived, they quickly gathered by the glass door to catch a first glimpse.

After a few quick hugs and pictures, they were off.

The excitement soon gave way to curiosity, and FedEx managers found themselves looking for answers to the kids' many questions.

Don Tummins, district sales manager in sales business development at FedEx, said, "They looked out the windows and pointed at things, wanting to know what they were. They wanted to know how fast we were flying and how high."

Dressed in blue FedEx shirts and hats with personal FedEx backpacks, the group arrived at The Magic Kingdom.

"The best thing was to see the expression on their faces, the excitement, the smiles, their bright eyes," Tummins says. "It was really satisfying to see them so happy."

Although the kids loved the entire experience, they said their favorite adventure ride was Space Mountain, a three-dimensional ride through a space simulation.

But each also had a very personal opinion on what was the best part of the trip.

For Julisa, it was the live shows and the Mickey Mouse ice cream sandwiches.

For Marlyn, it was sitting in the jump seat and watching the pilots fly the plane.

For 7-year-old Jamal, it was the Disney store, where each child was allowed to pick souvenirs.

"Jamal is the smallest of the boys, but he wouldn't allow anyone to carry his bag of souvenirs for him," Tummins says. "He even kept it on his lap on the trip home."

The day at Disney World ended with the group watching the famous parade.

"Some of the kids were speechless," said Roderick Mosley, senior behavior specialist at Youth Villages.

Tummins, a United Way leadership giver, had won the one-day trip on the FedEx corporate jet in a national leadership giver raffle among FedEx employees. He and five of his colleagues had planned to go on the trip together should one of them win.

"We talked about New York and going to a Broadway show," Tummins says. "I wasn't saying it at the time, but I thought if I won, I would like to take a group of kids somewhere they wouldn't ordinarily have a chance to go. Of course I never believed I would actually win."

When he did, his colleagues - Randi Taylor, senior manager, sales business development, Jan Winterburn, Michelle Smith and Bryan Waldon, district sales managers, sales business development - thought of taking foster kids to Disney World. They called Youth Villages and also Baptist Children's Villages in Independence, Miss.

"The managers from FedEx were wonderful," Altovise Boyd, a senior child counselor, Youth Villages, says. "They were so nice and sweet with the kids and so generous."

The FedEx group held bake sales to raise money for Disney World admissions and to buy the kids food, treats and souvenirs. When a FedEx division in New York found out about the project through the organization's Web site, they held their own fund-raisers to support it. A division in Orlando, Fla., offered transportation from the airport to Disney World and back. In order for more foster kids to be able to go, FedEx offered the group a larger corporate jet than previously planned.

"FedEx has always been strong in supporting not only United Way but many other worthy causes throughout the world," Tummins says. "FedEx has been good to me. Offering such a luxurious multi-million dollar asset as the FedEx corporate jet speaks volumes for the company. Therefore I felt it appropriate to utilize the jet in response to what this entire United Way incentive was all about - helping others."

"The kids had a great time, and that was wonderful to see," Mosley says. "On the plane ride back, they were so exhausted, they slept all the way. The trip truly was a once-in-a-lifetime experience - getting to go with the managers from FedEx and on the corporate jet. It's an experience none of us will ever forget."

FedEx has provided other Youth Villages children with unforgettable experiences. Last month, the third FedEx Career Prep Program, a professional skills program for the children in the Youth Villages vocational program, culminated in a graduation ceremony on the FedEx World Headquarters campus.

Over the years, FedEx employees have participated in numerous volunteer projects to brighten the lives of the children receiving help at Youth Villages - providing Christmas gifts and school supplies, organizing monthly projects for children in the residential program, helping move inventory to the new Bartlett campus school and hosting carnivals for children from a variety of programs.

FedEx has also been a sponsor of Youth Villages events.

By Sonja Luecke