Millennium Dreamers Global Recognition Program

Millennium Dreamers winners at Florida

Imagine winning an all-expense paid trip to the Walt Disney World Resort® near Orlando, Florida, USA!

For 2000 children the world over, McDonald's and Disney made this ultimate dream come true at the turn of the century with their Millennium Dreamers Awards Program - a global search for children [between 8 to 15 years] who have made a difference in their communities.

Those selected attended a three-day international summit at the Walt Disney World Resort®, where they had the opportunity to interact with top leaders and media personnel and share their views on the world.

This program was supported by the UNESCO and Reader's Digest [in India] and had 105 McDonald's countries participating in this search.

In Mumbai, the judging panel comprised media and other prominent personalities; Anil Dharker, Anish Trivedi, Bachi Karkaria, Behram Contractor, Malavika Sanghvi, Nana Chudasama, Raell Padamsee and Shobha De.

McDonald's India sent three delegates to represent the country at this international forum. Two of the winners were chosen from the Mumbai Participating Territories.

There was eleven-year-old Hardini Gada, a student of Maneckji Cooper School in Mumbai who was one of the winners that McDonald's Mumbai nominated. Hardini has a sister who is mentally handicapped. Distressed by the poor facilities offered by special schools for the mentally challenged, she held an exhibition of her paintings to generate funds for them. With this extraordinary gesture she raised Rs. 218,000/- and distributed the proceeds among three such schools!

There was also 14-year-old Mohit Bhambani, the second Millennium Dreamer from McDonald's Mumbai. The young genius, who hails from the pink city of Jaipur - Rajasthan, has devised a modified windmill mounted on a train moving at great speed for converting mechanical energy (wind) into electrical energy on the principle of velocity. Sounds amazing, right? One such windmill can actually produce 18 kilowatts of electricity when attached to a wind electric generator. Mohit's invention manages to create an alternative and non-polluting source of energy. Mohit's science club teacher and the Rajasthan Energy Development assisted him during his ambitious invention. Today, Mohit plans to approach the Divisional Railway Office to explore the possibilities of fitting his invention into the current train design.