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Kathy Aubruner, Give Kids The World
IAAPA’s partnership with Give Kids The World Village is so significant that it is often difficult to express. Fortunately, Pam Brandon accepted this challenge, using her journalistic talents to explore the partnership. In her feature story in this issue of Funworld (page 82), you will see that she has succeeded.
GKTW also needs your help. Tell us how GKTW can improve the partnership. For instance, would you like a GKTW representative to speak at an employee meeting? The partnership should be like a good game of Frisbee—a lot of back and forth action. GKTW would like to do more for IAAPA members and is eager for feedback.
Several ideas gathered from a survey of World Passport partners have already been implemented. Along with adjusting brochures distributed to GKTW families about the World Passport program, the Village staff has listed the names and ages of eligible GKTW family members on
the Passport handout. This change is expected to help expedite the Passport verification process. To make the process easier, the Village has designated Stacey Boturla as a “help line” contact for World Passport members to call or e-mail concerning Passport verification. Stacey can check GKTW’s records to verify any aspect of a family’s Passport. She can be reached by e-mail at staceyb@gktw.org or telephone 407/396-1114.
As a four-year veteran and front desk supervisor at GKTW, Stacey oversees the distribution of the World Passport certificates when the families check out of the Village. As Stacey explains the reaction of the families when they receive the gift, “I’ve honestly seen families jump up and down with excitement.”
Other members of Stacey’s own family are involved with the Village, too. Her husband, Richard, has been a Village groundskeeper for almost five years and works with horticulturists from Central Florida theme parks and resorts when they organize the quarterly volunteer landscape workdays at the Village. The Boturla’s seven-year-old son, Curtis, also has a special realm of expertise. His fascination with dinosaurs made him a perfect beta-tester for the Village’s prehistoric-themed miniature golf course. Having witnessed the entire evolution of the DinoPutt, Curtis is now a master tour guide for visitors.
If Stacey is unavailable at any time, as GKTW’s manager of strategic alliances, I will answer any queries. In addition to requests about Passport Verification, IAAPA members can address ideas and other types of questions to me at kathya@gktw.org or call 407/396-1114.
New Warehouse Brings Opportunities
Not every organization would consider a storage place to be “spectacular.” GKTW certainly does, though. After all, more room for goodies means more fun for Village guests.
During late May, the Village completed a new 60-by-100-foot warehouse that will expand GKTW’s ability to accept large deliveries, especially unexpected contributions that are always a nice surprise to receive. The Village’s other warehouses, dedicated to areas such as maintenance and housekeeping, are regularly filled to capacity. The new warehouse will help to ensure that GKTW does not need to scramble for off-property storage when big donations are offered by IAAPA members and other partners.
GKTW can always use contributions of goods to enhance the experience of its special guests and to help offset the costs of operating its 51-acre resort. Essential to Village programs are resources as varied as arcade games, construction materials, office supplies, and individually packaged snacks. In fact, GKTW basically can use anything that a small theme park or hotel requires. The Village’s largest needs include novelty items for its gift-giving program, which helps to keep the children’s spirits high—even when their energy levels are low. Counting the supplies that are required for the daily gift-giving program plus the extra presents that Santa needs for his weekly appearances at the Village, GKTW gives more than 100,000 gift items each year.