A Talk with Carol Beth Scott

I began to be truly thankful for our children’s healing. I was able to rejoice for the first time. I began to heal. I know I’ll never see the whole picture, but I was able to see that I am blessed. I am so blessed I just can’t hold it all in. My cup runs over. It was a spiritual healing.

MMS: So at what point did you visit Disney World?

CBS: A year-and-a-half after the assault took place, David and I took our children and my parents to Walt Disney World. We wanted to go someplace where our children could regain their innocence, where they could experience a piece of “normal” childhood, and where we could all forget about life’s harsh realities, if just for a little while.

The trip brought restoration. And a platform.

MMS: What do you mean by that?

CBS: As we endured this tribulation, David and I knew we had to do something to prevent sexual assaults from happening to other children. We also knew those who’d already been through it were in desperate need of encouragement and support. It’s a sad fact that victims are further victimized when they take a stand against an offender.  People flock to the defense of the attacker and shame the victim. The innocent children, my children and others who were abused, did absolutely nothing wrong, yet as I’ve seen over and over again in these situations, the accuser is discredited and shunned. When we went through this, the defense attorneys attacked me by interviewing everyone who knew me—going back to high school friends—to try to make me the bad guy. So David and I determined to minister to victim families, and Disney provided the way.

It seems strange sometimes, to use a secular and sometimes controversial company for funding our ministry efforts, but it seemed logical considering how it blessed our family in September of 2004, marking the transition we made away from pain and anger and into healing.

3D Travel is now an Earmarked Agency and continues to grow. From humble beginnings booking eighteen travelers for the inaugural Ultimate Field Trip in 2005, the company reached half a million in sales in 2009, topping seven hundred UFT attendees in 2008. They’ve already booked $400,000 in Disney sales in the first quarter of this year and recently employed several new hires!

Since founding 3D Travel Company, which stands for Discount Disney Destinations, and starting UFT, the Scotts have blessed their community in countless ways. In 2005-2006, they donated half of their income from UFT and other bookings to BACA, Bikers Against Child Abuse. That’s half of their income, not half of the profits! In 2006, that money funded BACA for an entire year. The Scott family established a non-profit organization, The Ugly Bug Club, in 2007, enabling them to benefit a larger number of recipients, including individual families in crisis. In 2009, they developed a pilot program for churches to train facilitators to aid victims. Over the years, they have assembled program kits, spoken publicly, and supported victims and their families throughout court trials.

Administrative costs overburdened the non-profit in 2009, and it was dissolved. However, the Scotts have not stopped giving! Beginning this year, they are partnering with Give Kids the World. A portion of their profits will be donated, and anyone who books a Disney vacation through their agency will have the opportunity to donate as well. But that’s not all! During the Earmarked Convention this year, David, Carol Beth, and their team will give a day of their time to Give Kids the World on location in Florida. Then, starting with UFT 2011, David and other UFT participants will dedicate the day before UFT begins each year to volunteering with the program.

The Scotts continue to advocate for victims of child sexual predators and provide personal encouragement to families who’ve experienced an offense. You may contact Carol Beth directly if you, your children, or someone you know has experienced child sexual assault and would like direction, support, or a shoulder to lean on. Her email address is carolbeth@3dtravelcompany.com.

Thank you so much for sharing your story, Carol Beth. Thank you and David for all you do to help those who’ve been victimized by sexual predators. Thank you for reaching out and for giving so generously of yourself and your resources.

Today’s Takeaway:

Thank a Cast Member.

One thing Carol Beth and her family observed on their first visit to Walt Disney World was the exquisite customer service, the over-and-beyond level of care Cast Members provide, from the street sweepers to the gate keepers to the costumed performers to the security guards. Each plays a key role in making Disney World “The Most Magical Place on Earth.”

Take some time to let Cast Members know how they made your visit so special. Have fun creating your own thank you notes. Glitterize them, color them, bedazzle them, and sprinkle them with pixie dust! When you return from your next visit to a Disney Park, send a note to someone who’s made your trip extra magical. Be sure to write the Cast Member’s name and location within the Park on the mailing label. Park addresses can be found at this website.