If we told you there was a magical kingdom at the heart of Orlando’s theme park empire, but it’s not in Walt Disney World, would you believe us? Well, there most certainly is, but you’ve probably never heard of it before, so let us put that right.
Give Kids the World is a truly wonderful – and fantasy-filled – “Village” just off the main Kissimmee routeway of Highway 192. The 89-acre site is packed with holiday villas, rides, attractions, a cinema, food services and more. It was developed with the help of the creative minds behind Disney and Co and it includes amusement rides donated by some of the biggest manufacturers in the world.
Children are invited to come, and bring their whole families. And it doesn’t cost them a penny. That’s because it is a fully-fledged kids’ charity that runs purely on donations and volunteerism. It only accepts children via more than 250 international wish-granting agencies but provides absolutely everything they need for a carefree week’s holiday in these extraordinary surroundings, including theme park tickets (all donated by Disney, Universal and SeaWorld) and special gifts.
Once situated in one of the 166 beautiful themed villas, they can take their pick throughout the day of a full-service café and ice-cream shop, where everything they eat and drink is free for them and their family; four fully-fledged rides, including the Amberville Train; two wheelchair-accessible pools; a splash pad; fishing pond; chapel; indoor playroom; children’s spa; nature trail; games arcade and model train exhibit; mini-golf; the 104-seat cinema; and the Wonderlab, an immersive STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math) education and craft centre. And there’s no charge for any of it.
Cast members from the parks are among the hundreds of local volunteers – as well as a handful of tourists – who man the rides, cafes and other working elements, and they help to create a complete sense of fun and immersion for all the Wish families.
The accommodations include 166 two-bedroom, two bath “Storybook villas,” as well as 24 apartment-style homes that sleep up to five. And the whole site is designed and decorated with theme park-style precision and elaboration, including the Avenue of Angels, the Village’s main street. The entire property is, of course, fully disabled accessible.
Every week – and that means 52 times a year – there are celebrations for Halloween, Christmas, birthdays and other events, notably with the resort’s signature character, the 6ft-tall rabbit, Mayor Clayton, who is renowned for riding the Enchanted Carousel and eating Ms. Merry’s carrot cake. Each day’s festivity culminates in a special themed show at The Hoppening Place inside the Towne Hall main building (which also houses the Café Clayton and Gingerbread House dining options).
The recent addition of Henri’s Starlite Scoops (paying homage to founder Henri Landwirth) – which provides a permanent ice cream parlour open every day from 7.30am that actively encourages children to enjoy ice cream for breakfast (!) – is another notable highlight, among many.
Perhaps the crown jewel, though, is the Castle of Miracles, where there is a golden star displayed on the ceiling for every single Wish child who has visited. There are currently just over 200,000 stars, and counting, and Wish families are invited to visit the Castle to see their child’s star in a special viewing chamber, as well as pick up a free pillow from Buttons the squirrel. There is also a little indoor play area, interactive elements and colouring and craft opportunities.
The story of how the Village was created is also immensely heart-warming. It was established in 1986 by Holocaust survivor and local hotelier Landwirth, who saw a growing need to provide sick children with a ray of hope and joy in their lives. With the backing of several local firms and NASA’s Mercury 7 astronauts – who Henri had befriended while manager of the Starlite Motel in Cocoa Beach in the 1960s – he was able to buy some land and build the basic fabric of the unique resort. Since then, it has grown from its original 35 acres and 16 villas to its full 89-acre extent today, with the firm support of Disney and Co, as well as many other businesses throughout Central Florida.
Now here’s the important part. Give Kids the World runs primarily on donations, and there is a constant need for new financing to keep the resort running. To date, the Village has provided holidays for more than 175,000 families, but the demand is greater than ever, hence there is a heavy reliance on charity giving. Fund-raising is a key element of their mission and they are happy to accept support from fund-raisers anywhere in the world; perhaps within your community, company, school or just online. Check out how to create a fund-raiser of your own on this link.
However, there is also another way you can help, and that is by volunteering at the Village. As we can certainly attest, spending just a few hours here on a voluntary basis is a magical experience, whether you’re serving at Café Clayton or Henri’s Starlite Scoops, operating one of the rides, delivering meals, dishing out popcorn at the cinema or any of the other several dozen tasks operated by the many volunteers (who put in roughly 1,800 shifts every week). You obviously need to apply and be accepted into the programme many weeks in advance, but, once adopted, you can sign up for any of the volunteer opportunities to coincide with your holiday, even if it’s only for a few hours.
For all the different ways you can donate, fund-raise or otherwise support Give Kids The World, see this page: www.gktw.org/help/.
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