To enhance global awareness for its mission, Give Kids The World Village has been participating in some of the world’s largest parades. The 2002 Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade and 2003 Tournament of Roses Parade helped the Village to launch an awareness-building campaign with great impact. Each parade reached millions of viewers through the events and the related worldwide television coverage.

By offering GKTW an opportunity to appear in Miami’s Thanksgiving Parade, Barry Kern of Kern Studios enabled the Village to receive major exposure. Kern, a longtime supporter of the Village and the float builder for the Miami parade, graciously invited GKTW founder Henri Landwirth,

president Pam Landwirth, the Village’s mascot Mayor Clayton, and children from the Village to enjoy a ride on an Everglades-themed float. CBS featured coverage of the Miami parade and the GKTW float as a special “cutaway” story during programming for the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York.

Universal Orlando also made it possible for GKTW to share its message in conjunction with the Macy’s parade. After the parade concluded in New York, many of the world’s most popular parade balloons moved on to a daily performance of the Macy’s Holiday Parade at Universal Orlando, where Mayor Clayton also appeared.

The momentum of GKTW’s parade projects continued with the entry of a “Village of Hope” float in the Tournament of Roses Parade on January 1, 2003. As one of the tallest and longest floats in the parade, the GKTW entry used more than 80,000 roses and various other floral decorations.
Another key element of the float was the incorporation of more than 54,000 children’s signatures on Aqua Piks that held and refreshed the flowers on the float. GKTW families,

in particular, were especially touched by this gesture. One dad explained in an e-mail: “When I read that GKTW was participating in the Rose Parade and how you were carrying the names of the children on the float, it brought me to tears. My daughter and family were guests at GKTW on her third birthday, and like all others, we were awestruck at how wonderful the Village is. I just felt compelled to write this and let you know how GKTW had made such an imprint on our lives, not only from the Wish trip, but once again by carrying our daughter’s name on something that means so much to us! Thank you for being in our hearts!”—The V. Family

In addition to the signatures on Aqua Piks, the Village reached out to alumni of GKTW by hosting a series of open houses and visiting hospitals in the Los Angeles area during its stay in California for the parade.

While riding a float built by IAAPA member Kern Studios, for the Miami Thanksgiving Parade, GKTW founder Henri Landwirth, president Pam Landwirth, Kids Club members, and mascot Mayor Clayton enjoyed the tropical hip-hop rock of Jorge Moreno, the Latin Grammy Award winner for “Best New Artist.”

Home & Garden Television (HGTV) Rose Parade 2003 hosts Robb Weller, Paul James, and Rebecca Kolls gave special attention to GKTW alumni Keaton White (age 10) and Bailey Cooney (age four), and GKTW mascot Mayor Clayton.