KISSIMMEE, Fla. — It’s not December 25th yet. It’s just another September day. But for some children here in central Florida, every Thursday is Christmas.
Inside a castle, Santa Claus gives away presents to everyone, all the kids get to make wishes and those who want to also can enjoy a ride in a horse-drawn carriage — not to mention a delicious turkey dinner.
This happens every week at Give Kids the World, a non-profit resort for children with life-threatening illnesses. The village offers free, week-long vacations to kids from the United States and other countries who make a wish to visit Walt Disney World, the famous Florida theme park in nearby Orlando that millions of kids around the globe dream about. “Governed” by a 6-foot-tall bunny rabbit known as Mayor Clayton, the GKTW village in Kissimmee is a fantasy come true for children.
It’s a place where they can have ice cream any time, where they get a present every day and Christmas is every Thursday. It’s in a 51-acre property that was designed for kids and their families to relax in and forget about all their troubles — at least for a week. It’s a big place with lots of trees and plants. The air is warm and humid, typical Florida weather, with occasional short rain showers. Above all, the landscape is dominated by cheerful buildings offering a wide variety of fun activities for the kids.
For example, the Gingerbread House is a restaurant with low, kid-sized red tables and colorful chairs. It’s decorated with dolls and other toys and the carpet features children’s designs. Another favorite place in the village is a castle where kids can enjoy puppet shows, game arcades and all kinds of entertainment.
The accommodations are very inviting, too. The resort has 48 villas, each with private accommodations for two families. That means the village can host 96 kids and their families at a time. The children usually come with their parents, brothers and sisters, and in some cases grandparents or other relatives. The villas are very comfortable: each family unit includes a kitchen, a living room, a bedroom for the children with a private bathroom (don’t forget it’s all about the kids) and a bedroom for the parents with a bathroom.
Wish-granting organizations identify the kids in the United States and the rest of the world and also arrange round-trip transportation for them and their families. GKTW takes care of the cost of the lodging in its village and meals. Tickets to Disney World are donated by the theme park.
“We take care of everything, from greeting them at the airport to all the things they need during the week. For that, a family would spend $4,000 to $5,000,” explained Mitch Goldberg, general manager of GKTW.
The staff of the village takes seriously the commitment to “take care of everything.” There’s even something special for the parents: once during their week-long stay at the complex, on Parents’ Night Out, they are sent away for dinner on their own, with gift certificates to local restaurants, while their children stay in the village with volunteers.
Since it opened in 1986, GKTW has brought to Florida more than 70,000 children from all 50 states and 50 countries around the world. On average, 8 per cent of the kids come from outside the United States. With a budget of $6 million in 2004, GKTW granted 5,756 wishes, welcoming 5,384 American kids and 372 children from other countries.
It’s about having fun
GKTW was founded by Henri Landwirth, a Belgian immigrant who survived two Nazi concentration camps, including Auschwitz, and then, at the age of 20, came to the United States with a 6th grade education and only $20 in his pocket. He went to school, spent some time in the military and eventually started working in the hotel business, where he claims to have done every possible job from scrubbing toilets to managing.
With his knowledge of the hotel business and his desire to return some of what he was given in the United States, Landwirth decided to start GKTW.
“I chose to help children because I was a survivor. I didn’t expect to live,” Landwirth said in an interview. He was happy with the outcome of his project. “The impact of coming here on the children’s lives is very important. They forget about everything else. It’s only about having fun. But the wish is also very important for the families,” he explained.
Almost everything in the village and all the things given to the children and their families are donated or underwritten by sponsors. Companies of all sizes support the village, including big names like Wal-Mart, American Airlines and Coca-Cola. But their names are not advertised in the buildings they paid for or anywhere else in the village.
“It’s not about making money but all about the service,” explained Goldberg.
Ultimately, the people who make GKTW possible are the 1,800 volunteers who work in the village each year. They are called “angels” and they greet each guest when they arrive at the airport, they serve the meals and they work at the front desk, among other things. Mostly senior citizens, the volunteers work side by side with the 100 people on the GKTW staff.
“I am confident that this place is set up for perpetuity,” assured Landwirth. “We have money and lots of volunteers,” he added with deep optimism and a hopeful look that reflected his passion for what he does and his true desire to make a meaningful contribution to children’s lives.
Notebook
By Pilar Conci, WPI '05
Give Kids the World founder Henri Landwirth (center) gave a big hug to welcome special guest Hayden Phipps, left, from Dallas, Texas, along with little brother Graham, 2, father Dale, mother Amanda, and sister Sophie, 4. The Make-A-Wish Foundation of North Texas granted 6-year-old Hayden’s wish for the family to go to Disney World together after he was diagnosed with rhabdomyosarcoma.