2022 Giving Guide: Children
(PHOTOS PROVIDED BY GIVE KIDS THE WORLD VILLAGE)
Give Kids the World Village
210 South Bass Road, Kissimmee 34746 | 407-396-1114 | gktw.org
For the nearly 178,000 families who have visited, Give Kids the World Village is a magical wonderland where critically ill children can experience joy, hope and respite from the heavy realities of their everyday lives.
The 89-acre resort “looks like it came straight out of the pages of a storybook,” President and CEO Pam Landwirth says. “It is filled with splashes of color, childlike wonder and surprises at every turn.” Imagine a gingerbread house dining hall, a pirate ship, an accessible carousel, a resort pool with “dive-in” movies, weekly Halloween and Christmas celebrations, nightly parties, all-you-can-eat ice cream, horseback riding and more.
(PHOTOS PROVIDED BY GIVE KIDS THE WORLD VILLAGE)
Landwirth, the widow of founder Henri Landwirth, remembers three-year-old “Princess Alyssa,” who was in hospice care for cancer. “When she returned home, she told her doctor, ‘If you want to make kids well, don’t give them shots. Send them to Give Kids the World. It’s magic medicine,’” Landwirth recalls. Today Alyssa is “a beautiful 25-year-old young woman who hopes to take my job one day.”
People can help by donating, sharing on social media, or by volunteering, Landwirth says. “We fill nearly 1,800 volunteer shifts each week,” she says.
Other Resources
Teen Challenge | 3706 S. Sanford Ave., Sanford 32773 | 407-330-9600 | teenchallenge.cc
Runway to Hope | 189 S. Orange Ave. Suite 1800, Orlando 32801 | 407-802-1544 | runwaytohope.org
Federation of Families of Central Florida | 2605 Maitland Center Parkway Suite D, Maitland 32751 | 407-334-8049 | ffcflinc.org
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