On this #givingtuesday , if you’re looking for a worthwhile cause, take a look at “Give Kids The World“. It’s a magical place in Orlando, Florida, where kids with life threatening illnesses and their families get to spend a vacation together, free of cost.
From the GKTW website:
Give Kids The World is a non-profit organization that exists only to fulfill the wishes of all children with life-threatening illnesses and their families from around the world to experience a memorable, joyful, cost-free visit to the Central Florida attractions, and to enjoy the magic of Give Kids The World Village for as long as there is a need.
I’ve donated to the organization before – you might remember reading about that on my blog. This year, we were able to spend some time there volunteering during our summer vacation. You can too, even if you only have half a day! See here for more information: http://gktw.org/volunteer/
There are all kinds of activities for the visiting children and their families to take advantage of. Special meals, game time, pools and even some small attractions!
Half of our family got to work in the Castle of Miracles where the child can come and bring the star they receive at check-in and give it to the Star Fairy to put into the sky in the Star Tower. It’s a way of commemorating their visit, and when they return, they can come visit and look for it. Here’s a look at the Star Tower, inside and out.
This is a look up at the sky where the Star Fairy puts their stars. There are so many from visitors, they had to build this tower a few years ago to have space for them – the ceiling in the Castle is full.
We also got to help the families get a magical pillow for each child from the story tree.
The other half got to work at the Ice Cream Palace. When you’re at GKTW, you can have ice cream, shakes and sundaes for breakfast if you want.
Families staying at the village each get their own “home”. And guess who gets the big bedroom? (Hint – It’s not the parents)
What a great way to take a child’s mind off their health problems for a while! And for today only, your donation will be doubled by an anonymous donor. So either take some time to volunteer, or donate at : http://www.gktw.org/index.php (click on the banner at the top). Thanks!
