Vault: A Large Contributition to Bert's Big Adventure

Summary

The Bert Show – Vault: A Large Contribution to Bert's Big Adventure

Airdate: June 24, 2026
Episode Focus: Launching the Fairy Godmother Program and Celebrating a Major Donation for Bert's Big Adventure

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Episode Overview

This episode centers on the growing legacy of Bert's Big Adventure — a nonprofit initiative launched nearly a decade ago by Bert and his wife, dedicated to providing memorable Disney World trips for children with chronic and terminal illnesses and their families. The hosts announce a significant expansion: the Fairy Godmother volunteer program, designed to support families during extended hospital stays. The show celebrates a $10,000 donation (on top of an earlier $40,000) from Carter’s, a beloved children’s apparel company. Emotions run high as the team discusses the impact of these programs and community support.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Bert's Big Adventure: Founding Purpose and Evolution

• Bert opens the episode reflecting on the annual Disney World trip for families with children facing chronic or terminal illnesses ([01:09]).
  • Quote:

    “This organization started as one thing and one thing only... just to give these families some relief... but because of your support, we have really been able to branch off in a whole bunch of different directions that we never saw coming when we first started.” (Bert, 01:09)

• Jen emphasizes the long-term community aspect, noting that families stay connected through regular events and reunions ([02:02]).
  • Quote:

    “Once a year, selected as a BBA family, you’re always a BBA family.” (Jen, 02:02)

2. Hospital Support and the Need for the Fairy Godmother Program

• Inspired by seeing BBA families endure prolonged hospital stays, the team created grassroots support: delivering meals and comfort directly to families ([03:33], [04:08]).
• Amy elaborates on the personal, “boots-on-the-ground” approach, and how growing numbers have necessitated formalizing this support with a volunteer network ([03:33] – [05:33]).
  • Quote:

    “Eight years ago, you could define Bert’s Big Adventure as our trip to Disney World. I don’t define it that way anymore... it’s a community that’s developed of special needs families.” (Amy, 03:33)

  • Parents unable to leave hospital rooms would get meals and little presents to sustain them, all managed by BBA staff until the scale became unmanageable ([04:48]).

3. Structure of the Fairy Godmother Program

• The new program introduces volunteer “fairy godmothers” and “godfathers,” each leading teams that provide daily visits, gifts, and comfort to hospitalized children and their families ([05:42] – [07:57]).
  • Key Details:
    • Teams assigned to specific hospitals.
    • Volunteers deliver “goodies and gifts and food every single day.”
  • Quote:

    “Every child... in a hospital will have a Bert’s Big Adventure representative come and visit them every single day... now they have something to look forward to.” (Bert, 07:31)

  • Amy:

    “And they’re not alone. And that’s really the definition of Bert’s Big Adventure now – this community. So you’re never alone through any of this anymore.” (Amy, 07:57)

4. The Carter’s Partnership: $50,000 in Two Weeks

• BBA needed external help to fund the Fairy Godmother program. Carter’s CEO Michael Casey joins the show ([08:27]).
• Michael describes the natural fit, company enthusiasm, and desire to give back to young families ([08:42]).
  • Memorable Donation Moment:

    “So Mike just handed me a check for, oh, $10,000.” (Amy, 09:47)
    “I want to add this also, that this $10,000 check... is in addition to 40,000 they’ve already given us. So that’s $50,000 over just the last couple of weeks.” (Bert, 11:08)

• Hosts and callers express gratitude and discuss Carter’s nearly universal presence in family life ([09:55] – [10:05]).
  • Quote:

    “Every family with kids... on average, has 10 pieces of clothing from Carter’s.” (Bert, 10:05)

5. Community Response and Volunteer Opportunities

• Listeners call in, touched by the mission and eager to volunteer ([11:44], [13:36]).
• Amy provides practical details:
  • Volunteers can email her or reach out through the BBA website.
  • There’s an interview, background check, and training, with plans to launch in May ([13:53] – [14:26]).

6. Impact Stories and Emotional Moments

• Caller Karen shares her own experience as a parent of a child with health needs, describing just how much support means to families ([11:44]):
  • Quote:

    “You almost made me want to cry. But I’m proud because I really endorse Carter... And I know what a benefit it is to have that support system, to be able to have somebody to come to visit them in the hospital...” (Caller Karen, 11:44)

• The team reiterates the unpredictable, often isolating nature of life for these families and the crucial role of ongoing support ([12:37], [13:01]).

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• [01:09] Bert:

  “This is a trip… my wife and I started… a nonprofit… we take children down to Disney World that have chronic and terminal illnesses and we bring the entire family.”

• [03:33] Amy:

  “What I do is I define Bert’s Big Adventure as a community… the trip has become the catalyst… it really feeds what is driving Bert’s Big Adventure now, which is this community.”

• [07:31] Bert:

  “Bottom line… every child, Bert’s Big Adventure child and family that’s in a hospital will have a Bert’s Big Adventure representative come and visit them every single day… now they have something to look forward to.”

• [09:47] Amy:

  “So Mike just handed me a check for, oh, $10,000.”

• [11:08] Bert:

  “This $10,000 check… is in addition to $40,000 they’ve already given us. So that’s $50,000 over just the last couple of weeks.”

• [11:44] Caller Karen:

  “I am so proud of Carter for stepping up, because I buy Carter for my son… and I know what a benefit it is to have that support system…”

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• [01:09] – Introduction to Bert’s Big Adventure’s Mission
• [02:02] – Community and Reunion Focus
• [03:33] – Supporting Families during Hospital Stays; Grassroots Origins
• [05:42] – Need for and Structure of the Fairy Godmother Program
• [07:31] – Commitment to Daily Hospital Visits
• [08:27] – Introduction of Carter’s as a Sponsor
• [09:47] – Announcement of $10,000 Gift
• [11:08] – Total Gifts from Carter’s reach $50,000
• [11:44] – Emotional Caller Karen’s Endorsement
• [13:53] – Call for Volunteers; How Listeners Can Help

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Conclusion

This episode captures a defining moment for Bert’s Big Adventure as its community-centered mission expands beyond memorable trips to Disney, fully embracing ongoing support for families coping with serious childhood illness. The Fairy Godmother program, underpinned by an outpouring of listener enthusiasm and Carter’s notable $50,000 financial backing, embodies the show’s signature blend of heartfelt outreach and inclusive, authentic fun.

For More Information or to Volunteer:
Visit the new Bert’s Big Adventure website or email Amy at [e-mail] (responses expected after the trip).
Quote:

“Anyone who’s interested, send us an email and we’ll get you hooked up… We’re hoping to launch in May.” (Amy, 13:53)

Transcript

[Bluff]

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[Burt]

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[Geico Advertiser]

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[Burt]

It feels good to have support. It feels good to geico. The Burt Show. This is a very exciting week for us because this is Burt's Big Adventure Week now, man, there's a lot of planning that goes into this week.

[Jen]

Send off starts on Thursday.

[Burt]

Send off is Thursday. And for those of you that are new to the Burt show, this is a trip that my wife and I started. It's a nonprofit that we started almost nine years ago now. It's our eighth trip and we take children down to Disney World that have chronic and terminal illnesses and we bring the entire family and it happens this weekend. But the planning for something like this happens all year long. And what you guys have allowed us to do with all your contributions and your support is really sort of just branch out from Disney World. This, this organization started as one thing and one thing only. And that was a trip down to Disney World just to give these families some relief and get them out of Atlanta and just create some memories. And down at Disney World, well, because of your support, we have really been able to branch off in a whole bunch of different directions that we never saw coming when we first started the organization.

[Jen]

Well, when the Burt's Big Adventure families become BBA families, they stay in this collected family forever. It's not like it's just one trip and then they're gone. They're connected through friendships and they stay in touch with the organization year after year and build these lifetime Friendships and stay together because there's activities all year long. Everybody remains connected once a year. Selected as a BBA family, you're always a BBA family.

[Burt]

We totally embrace you now. Totally embrace you. From Burt's Big Adventure on. And we have these reunions now, like Jen was talking about, to keep the families connected. And. Excuse me, one thing that my wife and I noticed when we got back from the trips was we were visiting the families in the hospitals. And some of these families were there not days, not weeks, but at times there were months where they were in the hospitals. And, boy, that is. That's. That's a tough life right there. I mean, after about the third day, if you've ever been in a hospital and you're sitting in that room and there's nothing except you and that bed that goes up and down and there's the TV in front of you. Outside of that, there's just not a lot going on. So we started to ask the families, like, what can we do to help you guys once you get back here if you end up in the hospitals? And Stacy came out with a fantastic idea, a really great idea that we. We have brainstormed and thought about for a long time, and we get to execute now that we've got a great sponsor, Carter's, that we're going to introduce you guys to here in just a couple of seconds.

[Amy]

So the program is called the Fairy Godmothers. And what we've been doing over the past eight years is whenever we have one of our families in the hospital, you know, we're all kind of connected through the Facebook and just different ways that we find out that different BBA kids are in the hospital. So between the BBA staff, mostly me, Bert, Amy, and our medical staff, somebody makes a visit to them at least every other day so that anything that they need, you know, we can bring to them. And there's. There's really not a lot of food for the parents. So I keep, like, little things of those little bread pans of lasagna in my freezer, my garage freezer. So everyone just stops by and grabs one of those so the parents have something to eat. I. I mean, this is how grassroots we've been doing this. But what's happened is. And Jen spoke to this pretty well, is I feel like Burt's Big Adventure is defined differently than it was eight years ago. Eight years ago, you could define Burt's Big Adventure as our trip to Disney World. I don't define it that way anymore. What I do is I Define Burt's Big Adventure as a community that's developed of special needs families. So the trip has become the catalyst. Like, it's our feeder. So we choose these amazing families, and we become close with them on the trip. But it really feeds what is driving Bird's Big Adventure now, which is this community. So part of being that community is taking care of these parents and these kids when they're in the hospital. And a lot of these parents are single parents, so some of the times they can't leave the room, like if they're in pneumonia situations and they can't breathe, and you have to watch how much is in their lungs, and you can't walk out of the room, and they can't take a shower. They can't get anything to eat. The kids are bored. They want little toys or whatever. These families don't have much money, so we would bring little gifts or whatever they needed, and we would call the parents that morning. But now we're 80. How many? 85 families strong. And the six of us can't do it anymore. There's not enough legs and time.

[Burt]

So now in that family that keeps having the kids, the doers.

[Caller]

The Duggars.

[Burt]

The Duggars, they got like, 20 kids now. Like, they didn't start that way.

[Amy]

Now we got 85 kids, and I don't know what to do with all of them. And I definitely don't have enough room in my freezer for that much lasagna. So we're like, we've got to do something, because we want to take care of these families for the rest of their lives. And we've never had a volunteer program because we've always been able to manage everything just with the staff that we have. But now that we've gotten so big, Amy and I are like, well, we better start tapping these people that want to help us because they're banging down the door. They're like, do something. Please, please, please. And so this came. This idea came, and it just sort of developed just from this need. And what we've decided to do is set up teams for the different hospitals. So who, whoever there would be a fairy godmother leader, and then she would have six fairy godmothers under her or him. I've been hassled because I don't have a fairy godfather logo yet. There are several men that want to do this, too. So I'm like, okay, I'm working on it.

[Bluff]

I would think that if they've agreed to volunteer for something with fairy in the title, they'd be okay with godmother at the end.

[Amy]

They're very straight guys. Yeah. I mean, they want their own logo. I'm like, okay, so anyway, so we'd set up these teams and so there'd be a leader and then six other God whatevers and they. So this leader would get the call from one of us saying, okay, so and so's in the hospital. Call this parent, find out how long. And I thought, if there's seven people, then if they're in there for a week or more than a week, the volunteer only has to make one trip a week. So I think that's man, like, the concern is when you deal with volunteers is, are they going to have enough time? Because I won't do this unless they do it right.

[Burt]

Yeah, the math on it. We'll work out off there. But the bottom line of the whole thing is that every child, Burt's Big Adventure child and family that's in a hospital will have a Burt's Big Adventure representative come and visit them every single day with goodies and gifts and food every single day. So when they're sitting there in the middle of the day and they're bored out of their mind, now they have something to look forward to. There's going to be a fairy godmother or father coming to the hospital with something.

[Amy]

And they're not alone. And they're not alone. And that's really the definition of Burt's Big Adventure now is this community. So you're never alone through any of this anymore. And by setting this program up, you know, there's a lot that's going to be involved in it. And we we have to train people, and we want to get them shirts so that, you know, they're recognized in the hospital. And our kids feel really special when someone comes. So then we were like, okay, how do we pay for it?

[Burt]

Yeah, because we didn't want to take the money. We don't want to take away from the money that was coming into the trip.

[Jen]

Right.

[Burt]

So we needed to find somebody that would help us with the fairy Godmother program. And that's when Carter's here. Michael Casey is the chairman and chief executive officer over at Carter's. These guys have stepped up and they said, what do you need? What do you need? And he's here today, and we got to thank you.

[Michael Casey]

A pleasure. Good to be here with you. This idea came to my attention around the holidays. We're very fortunate. We own the two best known brands in young children's apparel. We've been around forever. Both brands have been around for over 100 years, and we've had a lot of success over the past number of years. And around the holidays, we said, what? Is there something we can do to help young kids? And Burt's Big Adventure came to my attention. You've got a lot of fans at Carter's and Oshkosh, A lot of fans at the Casey house that my kids own. My wife's a big fan. So, anyways, we loved having you over at the office, and you're doing something very special here for people in need and particularly for young children. And after we had you over to the office on Friday for lunch, we said we'd like to do a little bit more for you. So we know that we helped you out with Bert's big adventure in the fairy godmother program, but we wanted to do a little something extra for you to get you started off right. So happy to help. We're very fortunate. We've been very blessed as a company with a lot of loyal customers for many, many years. And so we wanted to share a little of that with you this morning.

[Burt]

I haven't seen that. What is that?

[Amy]

So Mike just handed me a check for, oh, $10,000.

[Geico Advertiser]

Thank you.

[Caller]

That's incredible.

[Burt]

Thank you. We really appreciate that.

[Michael Casey]

You're very welcome.

[Burt]

If you guys. If you. If you don't have kids, you might not know what Carter's is, but if you have kids, you certainly know.

[Jen]

Or if you've ever had to attend a baby shower or attend a baby

[Burt]

shower, you've seen Carter's. Listen to this statistic. I thought I read it wrong when I went to Carter's. And tell me if I got this wrong. Every family with kids has an. On average, has 10 pieces of clothing from Carter's. 10. So everybody's been touched, and they're based here in Atlanta, which I didn't even know about until last week.

[Jen]

That's awesome. Incredible.

[Burt]

So it just seemed to make sense, and these guys, like, we met on Friday, and it just feels right to be with these guys. And it's just gonna be a great program because you guys are allowing it to be a great program.

[Michael Casey]

Yeah, we're happy to be part of it.

[Amy]

It was. The lunch we did on Friday was incredible. I mean, we. We walked out and were just blown away by the eagerness. I mean, it was like everybody was sitting on the edge of their seat, you know, like, what can we do next? What else? What else? What else? You know? And it was just. It was Such a perfect partnership. I said to Mike afterwards, I said, you know, when you find the right partnership, everything just becomes very natural and all these ideas come into play because you're supposed to be together to do great things. And it just felt that way. Was really amazing. Amazing.

[Burt]

I want to add this also, that this $10,000 check that Mike just gave us from Carter's is in addition to 40,000 they've already given us. So that's $50,000 over just the last couple of weeks.

[Jen]

So generous.

[Bluff]

Are you paying these fairy people?

[Burt]

That's why they're called volunteers.

[Michael Casey]

Yeah.

[Amy]

Not paying the fairy people.

[Bluff]

This is 50 grand now. And, I mean, if you need somebody to do it and you're willing to.

[Amy]

But we need really cool shirts. We need really cool shirts for them to wear. This will take over for the shirt.

[Burt]

Isn't he the picture of philanthropy right over there?

[Bluff]

I'm just saying, money's not good unless you spend it.

[Burt]

Oh, we'll do that. I can promise you that. Hey, Karen. Good Morning. You're on Q100.

[Caller]

Hi. Good morning. I am so proud of Carter for stepping up, because I buy Carter for my son. I believe in the brand and Oshkosh and the whole nine yards. And I'm so proud of you because my son has a diaphragmatic hernia as well as a congenital heart defect that has been corrected. And. And I know what a benefit it is to have that support system, to be able to have somebody to come to visit them in the hospital and to take them out, because it's just a difficult thing. And to have that support system. You almost made me want to cry. But I'm proud because I really endorse Carter. I tell all my friends about it. You have the button ups that when you're in the ICU unit, you can actually keep his PJs on. Sorry. I'm just proud that two of my favorite brands have come together and are assisting and facilitating in such a big way.

[Burt]

Thanks, Karen. Appreciate it. Thank you for that.

[Jen]

What a great way to say it.

[Burt]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Amy]

That's awesome.

[Burt]

Yeah. I mean, you've got to remember, I mean, these families on a day to day basis, and we say this over and over and over again when we're on the trip, is that there is no such thing as routine. Okay? No such thing. On any given day, your Burt's Big Adventure child can be healthy on Tuesday. And then Wednesday morning, you're in the hospital. Not for a day, not for a week, but seven months at a time. And your mom and dad hanging out and your sisters and brothers is good for a little while.

[Geico Advertiser]

That's cool.

[Burt]

You need that support system. But then what we feel like getting together with Carter's here is having that one person every day that you know is gonna be loaded down with gifts for you that's gonna be there. We think it's gonna enhance the experience a whole bunch.

[Amy]

Oh, and at the end of the meeting, so Jill comes up to me and she's like. And I don't know how many volunteers you have on the list yet, but all of our people here wanna do it, too. And I'm like, oh, my God.

[Burt]

And how many employees do y' all have here?

[Michael Casey]

Oh, we've got probably better part of a thousand here in Atlanta.

[Burt]

All right, so the program's done. We got the money, we got the people. It's over. Hey, John, good morning. You're on Q100 morning.

[Caller]

I've been listening.

[Bluff]

And how can I volunteer?

[Caller]

What can I do to help?

[Burt]

Stace, the phone lines are already lit up with people saying, what do we need?

[Amy]

Well, first you write a check. Amy does the detail stuff. I don't do any of that.

[Bluff]

Write a check for 50 grand, and then all your employees get to work there.

[Caller]

No.

[Amy (Volunteer Coordinator)]

Hey, thanks for being interested. If you want to send a message to me at amy bba, mail.com or directly through the Burt's Big Adventure website, we'll get you hooked up. I'm a little busy with trip details, so if I don't get right back to you regarding the volunteering, it will probably be the week when we get back after the trip, since we are leaving on Thursday. But anyone who's interested, send us an email and we'll get you hooked up. There will be an interview process and a background check and some training to go through. And we're hoping to launch in May.

[Burt]

Hey, John, we've got a brand new website, Burt's Big Adventure website, that's actually up this morning. So you can email us right through there.

[Caller]

Will do. Thank you.

[Burt]

Okay, thanks a lot. And the phone calls and the emails are already starting to pour in from people that want to volunteer. So, Mike, thank you to you and everybody over at Carter's that's allowed us to do this program. This is. We're really, really excited about this.

[Michael Casey]

Yeah, we are, too. Thanks for having us here this morning.

[Burt]

The bird show.

[Amy]

Hey, everybody.

[Lady Luck]

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[Burt]

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[Amy]

When I got a new car, I thought my insurance premium would increase and empty my bank account like if Fatween won the lottery.

[Burt]

I've invested most of my winnings in chicken tenders because they're bomb. But bro, I bought a house and it's sick, bro. I'm thinking the floor is gonna be all trampoline, bro. With a helipad on the roof.

[Amy]

The contractor said it's structurally unsound.

[Burt]

They're just being babies.

[Amy]

But switching to Geico saved me hundreds. So my bank account is safe.

[Burt]

It feels good to save some hard earned cash. It feels good to Geico.

[Lady Luck]

This year's girls trip to Telluride was the best. We one upped ourselves with my Sapphire preferred card. And with five times points on Chase Travel, plus points on vacation homes with top brands, we got this incredible cabin.

[Amy]

It was a mansion.

[Lady Luck]

And with three times the points on dining, we ordered a wagyu steak dinner

[Amy]

and that pistachio gelato was too good.

[Lady Luck]

So where should we go next year?

[Amy]

I've got ideas.

[Lady Luck]

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