The story of Give Kids The World begins with a little girl with a wish and the desire of one man to make that wish come true. The little girl's name was Amy. Amy had leukemia and one wish - to visit the theme parks in Orlando. To facilitate Amy's wish, the request of a complimentary stay was made to a respected hotelier. As he had done many times before, the hotelier gladly obliged and Amy's wish was that much closer to being realized. Sadly, the remainder of Amy's travel plans took too long to arrange and her wish was never granted; Amy had passed away. Time simply ran out. This unfulfilled wish inspired a man, the hotelier, to make a vow that no child in need would ever be failed again. That man was Henri Landwirth and his desire to ensure that Amy's story would never repeat itself is where the story of Give Kids The World begins.
Landwirth enlisted the support of colleagues in the hospitality industry, including our world-famous theme parks, to assist him in bringing these special families to Central Florida within 24 hours if need be. He called the project “Give Kids The World,” because that is just what he intended to do - provide memorable, magical, cost-free experiences to children with life-threatening illnesses and their families. As the program expanded and the number of families continued to grow, it was apparent that Give Kids The World would need to create a place that could better serve the special needs of our families. The gates of Give Kids The World Village opened in 1989. Today the Village is a 70-acre resort complete with over 100 Villa accommodations, entertainment attractions, whimsical venues, and fun specifically designed for children with special needs. With the help of many generous individuals, corporations and partnering wish-granting organizations, Give Kids The World has welcomed more than 93,000 families from all 50 states and over 65 countries.
This was after his FIRST day of art lessons at Prince of Peace Catholic School!
Give Kids The World along with the Make A Wish Foundation, we were blessed to have the vacation of a lifetime. We received more kindness and generosity in those 7 days than most people receive in their lifetime. So to Make A Wish and Give Kids The World you will always have a special place in our hearts. We pray to be able to "give back" the things we learned from this experience. To all the monetary contributors and hundreds of volunteers, please know that it doesn't go unnoticed or unappreciated and you have changed our lives forever. And so now, I'm going to flood the internet with pictures of our vacation because I just can't help myself. Don't you just hate those people that insist that you look at their photos. Enjoy :)
You will notice that Riley and Matthew are missing from these photos. Disney turned out to be too much for the two of them and so my mom took them to my grandmothers house in Leesburg. They still had tons of fun riding the golf cart and playing with their great-grandparents.
Give Kids The World along with the Make A Wish Foundation, we were blessed to have the vacation of a lifetime. We received more kindness and generosity in those 7 days than most people receive in their lifetime. So to Make A Wish and Give Kids The World you will always have a special place in our hearts. We pray to be able to "give back" the things we learned from this experience. To all the monetary contributors and hundreds of volunteers, please know that it doesn't go unnoticed or unappreciated and you have changed our lives forever. And so now, I'm going to flood the internet with pictures of our vacation because I just can't help myself. Don't you just hate those people that insist that you look at their photos. Enjoy :)
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