Meagan spoke about Give Kids The World this morning but I wanted to offer a follow up because I was so impressed by this place!
 We initially heard about About Give Kids The World, about 6 months ago while watching a local attraction show. After watching the show I told Meagan that should an opportunity ever come up to check them out we would have to jump on it. With my mom working in Pedi-Oncology as long as I can remember and with several members of our family having either struggled with cancer or have lost their lives due to various forms of Cancer, this organization had a special place in my heart. Meagan did a pretty good job of summarizing the place and some of the highlighted features of the resort so I will not rehash that information but if I had to pick a few highlights that stuck out to me they would be:

• The Volunteers and Staff– Meagan touched on them briefly but the people who comprise the staff and the over 1,000 of volunteer hours per work week are one of the main reasons why this place is so “magical”. As we were leaving, the two gentlemen who escorted us to the last lonely car were just as fired up about tell telling us about Give Kids The World at 9:00 as they were at 4:30 when we first arrived. They can be summed up by one of the last phrases we heard at the end of the night, “We do our best to make sure that the only time we say the word no is when we say no problem”.
• The smiles– It was one of the few atmospheres I have been in recently, (theme parks included) where top to bottom every one was either smiling or laughing hysterically. From watching parents jump in the pool with their kids to parents in the rocking chairs outside of their villas, everywhere you looked the smiles were non stop.
•  No Detail Spared– From the minute you pull up to the guard tower, to the time you leave one of the first things one notice is the high level of detail that goes into the day to day operations of Give Kids The World. I know Meagan also mentioned this but the fact that they even have the pool handicap accessible was really neat. Our tour guide mentioned that for a lot of their guests it is the first time that the whole family has had a chance to interact in the pool. Another example that shows Give Kids The World’s attention to detail is the fact that one day a week each of the parks come in and bring their costumed characters in for a chance to meet, greet and interact with each of the children. This gives each of the kids quality time that is special to them and outside of the business of the parks. 

How can you get involved? 
Do you want to support Give Kids the World? Why not do an Ice Cream for Breakfast party? You can have ice cream with friends and share all about the vision and encourage everyone to donate. Look at how little it takes to offer hope.

• $25 provides unlimited ice cream and tasty toppings served in our Ice Cream Palace for an entire week for one family.Imagine, ice cream for breakfast! We’re serving up cones, cups, milkshakes, sundaes and banana splits beginning at 7:30 in the morning! 
• $50 equips a family for fishing and horseback riding.Families enjoy the great outdoors with fishing gear and bait as well as horseback riding at Keaton’s Korral.
• $75 gives a friendly welcome to families visiting Give Kids The World.Volunteer airport greeters help families navigate through Central Florida’s busy airports. Upon check-in, a special button is given to the wish child to signify to theme park staff that the family is due special privileges throughout the week. The Village Guide, an informational guidebook outlining local information and the week’s activities, is a useful tool for families during their once-in-a-lifetime wish trip.
• $100 grants a year’s worth of family holidays packed into one fun-filled week.At the Village, each night brings another reason to celebrate. No matter the time of year, families celebrate together with a summer-themed BBQ, Halloween and a winter evening complete with Santa, a Winter Wonderland Parade and snow. There is something fun planned each night of the week — even a night to celebrate birthdays!

• You can Volunteer – Find out more information HERE! 

The funny thing is as long as this post is this is just a drop in the bucket as to what this organization does for those individuals it serves. If you get a minute please go check out the website at http://www.gktw.org/, for more information and to see additional pictures and videos of this great organization.

This week we had the extreme privilege to visit Orlando’s own Give Kids the World Village! From the moment we arrived to the second we left we were amazed with all they had to offer. Today we are going to handle our post a little different. As you may know my husband Mike now blogs with me. He is the mind behind all of the amazing Florida Fun content that has been coming your way. To be quite honest we couldn’t agree on who would get to write this post. The only natural solution is for both of us to write it for you and tell you all about the amazing organization that Give Kids The World Village is! You will read this post and then please come back this afternoon to check out Mike’s post.

What is Give Kids The World? 
Give Kids The World was started because of a little girl who had a terminal illness. Her only wish was to visit the Orlando theme parks. However, it took too much time for the request to be approved for her to have all she would need to fulfill her wish. She passed away before her wish was fulfilled. Because of this, Give Kids The World was founded so that no child with a life threatening illness would ever go with their wish unfulfilled like this young girl’s was.
In 1989 the village was opened to give families a safe place to stay that would facilitate all the needs of this season of life. Today the village is over 70 acres and has 144 villas for families to stay in during their wish.

Give Kids The World Volunteers 
I have to tell you about the volunteers at Give Kids the World. Never have I been so impressed with volunteers as I was on my visit to Give Kids the World. You can tell they really have the vision of this magical place and are there to make this week the best week ever for the children. In fact, one of the amazing volunteers actually stood in the parking lot with me at the end of the night and spent an additional fifteen minutes or so telling me more of the amazing things they do. He really loved Give Kids The World. Honestly, I wish I could let him write this post for you. His passion for this amazing place was so obvious.

What do I love about Give Kids The World?  
I have really tried to figure out how to fit everything into this post and I just can’t fit it all. They just do so much amazing stuff there! I decided that I will give you my highlights and then Mike can bring you his in a follow up post.

• The Stars – Pictured above or only a small representation of the stars in the Tower of Stars. Each wish child who comes to Give Kids The World has their own star. These stars are placed in the Tower of Stars and throughout the castle. The child and their family are able to see exactly where their star is placed. Whether or not the child beats their illness the family will always know that their child has a star at Give Kids The World. 
• The Villas – Each family gets to stay in a villa that is specifically designed for children with special needs. They even have a sign out front that says, “Welcome Home” with the family’s name. For one week, this is home. Each villa has a master bedroom for the kids and a smaller bedroom for the parents. It also has a full kitchen and a family room. I even heard from one of the volunteers that a gift is dropped off every night in the villa for the wish child and all siblings. 
• The Siblings – Another amazing thing about Give Kids The World is their approach to the siblings. Not only does the wish child experience amazing gifts, fun, and experiences, so do the siblings. Everything that Give Kids The World does for the wish child is done for the siblings as well. This means when the characters come from the theme parks to get one on one time with the children the siblings get time with them as well. This also means that if one child gets ice cream for breakfast, they all do. 
• The Pool – Give Kids The World has a zero entry pool. It was so neat to see the pool wheelchairs. The pool is actually designed so that the children can go in special wheel chairs made for the pool and enjoy the pool with their family. For some of these children this will be the first time they have ever been in a pool. 

• The Food Options – Not only does Give Kids The World partner with Perkins to make sure every family has a homestyle breakfast and dinner during their stay, they also have a place on site where pizza can be ordered in, and an all day ice cream shop where kids can have ice cream all day long if they want. 
• The Carousel – There is a handicap accessible wheelchair with spots for wheelchairs so children of every ability can experience the fun of a carousel. 
• The Holidays – During a week at Give Kids The World children will celebrate Christmas complete with a family dinner and celebrate Halloween complete with trick or treating. Some of these children may not make their next Christmas so Give Kids The World gives families these amazing memories. They even bring out Santa and gifts. 

• A story of a sweet boy – Cue the tears. I seriously can’t type this with a straight face. We were told the story of a sweet little boy who visited the village. His favorite blanket was missing. People were looking everywhere for it. One of the volunteers asked the boy where he saw it last. His answer, “I threw it into the clouds in the chapel so it would be in Heaven when I get there.” This tells you just how real the magic of Give Kids The World is. It’s the kind of place where you believe you can send your blanket to heaven to wait for you and know it will be there.