Give Kids the World Village: a Profile
Thursday, April 30th, 2009
Give Kids the World Village was inspired by a hotelier who was touched by a little girl suffering from leukemia whose last wish was to visit the Orlando theme parks. The disease later claimed her life and the wish remained unfulfilled. Henri Landwirth, the hotelier, made a promise to fulfill the wishes of ill children.
Give Kids the World Village (GKTW) is an independent non-profit organization that owns a 70-acre resort in Central Florida that creates beautiful memories for children afflicted with life-threatening diseases. It offers accommodations at its resort complete with tickets, meals and necessities needed for a week-long, expense-free vacation.
Each year 27,000 children are diagnosed with a life-threatening illness. GKTW welcomes children aged between 3 and 18 who have been diagnosed with a terminal illness. It also welcomes families not only in the US but in other parts of the world as well. Recently, it sponsored a dream vacation for families from Kuwait and Argentina. Since its foundation, the Village has catered to 93,000 children and their families.
GKTW is funded by individuals, corporate donations and fundraising events as well as in-kind donations in the form of tickets and gifts. Though not affiliated with any organization, it believes that giving is good, like the non-profit organization Feed the Children. Feed the Chidren has launched the Giving is Good website, which allows individuals and businesses to donate to a charity of their preference.