Disney is filming a streaming television series about "children at a camp" at an actual camp named Summerkids whose owners killed our 6-year-old child Roxie in 2019 due to irrefutable and widely reported fraud and gross negligence. Worse yet, my wife, Elena Matyas, is a longtime Disney corporate management employee.
That means, Disney is now writing huge location rental fee checks to the camp-owning family that willfully killed the child of one of its employees. This camp family has sent myriad children to the hospital and is being sued by the CA Attorney General and Department of Social Services for being an illegal child care operation.
Our 6-year-old girl drowned in the small Summerkids pool while in the care of counselors whom Summerkids owner Cara DiMassa and her American Red Cross lifeguard instructor fraudulently certified as lifeguards. In order to save time and money at the expense of children's safety, they did not provide requisite lifeguard, CPR or first aid training or any testing before granting lifeguard certifications. Counselors and the Red Cross representative admitted to the scheme.
Disney Vice President of Corporate Communications Charissa Gilmore said the family-friendly entertainment giant refuses to move the production to any one of the region's hundreds of other camp locations. "I don't think we have any additional information to add," Gilmore said.
"I am heartbroken and suffering more than ever," said Matyas. "I have poured my heart and soul into my work at Disney for 17 years, yet my company is now writing huge checks to the people that killed my beloved child. This is barbaric. Every family needs to know how Disney prioritized profit over its own people let alone children and families."
To honor our daughter, Elena and I run the nation's only camp safety foundation, forging critical legislation and other initiatives that protect the health and safety of millions of children. Sexual abuse, injuries and disease outbreaks at camps comprise a largely unknown U.S. epidemic kept quiet by powerful camp lobbyists and the camps, companies and politicians that they influence. It's a $26 billion industry serving 25 million vulnerable children.
Disney is one of these companies that enriches itself on the backs of vulnerable children and their families. Tell Disney to pull its production and do the right thing by the families that have helped build their business. As the world's 2nd largest media company, they sure as heck can afford to do so. Shame on you, Disney.
