Give Kids The World founder Henri Landwirth’s desire to care for seriously ill children is linked to his own childhood. Along with his mother, father, and sister, Landwirth was a prisoner of Nazi concentration camps, including Auschwitz, between the ages of 13 to 18. His parents died when he was 13, and he lost touch with his sister (they were later reunited in the U.S.), but Landwirth survived, though brutalized and left for dead by German soldiers. At the end of the war, he emigrated from his native Belgium to the U.S. with just $20 in his pocket. He worked his way up from bellboy in the hospitality industry and eventually became franchise owner of seven Holiday Inns in Central Florida. The defining moment was in 1986, when the family of a critically ill six-year-old girl, scheduled to stay at one of his hotels, canceled a vacation. The child had died with her final wish—to meet Mickey Mouse—unfulfilled. Landwirth vowed to cut through the red tape of wish foundations and thus created Give Kids The World. By 1989, he began building the Village. Today the nonprofit Give Kids The World Foundation works with more than 300 wish foundations and hospitals around the world. And “rush wishes” happen every single week, with arrangements made overnight to bring a child. No child is ever made to wait until it is too late. When the iron gates swing open to Give Kids The World (GKTW) Village, families enter a modern-day fairy tale as magical as any in a storybook: bowls of ice cream for breakfast, free arcade games, a pocketful of theme park tickets, and a spacious home away from home. All presided over by a congenial six-foot-tall rabbit. But this is no childhood fantasy. Give Kids The World Village is a dream come true for one man who started it all to fulfill a child’s wish. Successful hotelier Henri Landwirth created Give Kids The World for children with life-threatening illnesses whose wishes were to visit Central Florida’s world-famous attractions. In a few short years, Landwirth went from granting a single wish to purchasing 51 acres of land to build an entire village dedicated to these special children. Today the Village has doubled in size and has hosted more than 56,000 families through more than 330 wish-granting organizations around the world. Children ages three to 18 come from all 50 states and from 50 countries around the world. No qualified child is ever turned away. When GKTW villas are filled to capacity, families receive accommodations at nearby hotels and are always welcome to join in the many activities at the Village. The record: 145 families in one week, with 96 at the Village, and 49 others in nearby hotels. Surveys show that more than 50 percent of children with life-threatening illnesses, when granted a wish, ask to go to Central Florida. The world-famous attractions—a chance to be slimed at Universal’s Nickelodeon Studios, to hug Mickey Mouse, or to get splashed by Shamu at SeaWorld—are a major draw. All the family has to do is make a call to the wish-granting organization, which makes their airline arrangements. A second call to GKTW takes care of everything else for a weeklong stay—lodging, theme park tickets, rental car, food, even a loan of a video camera or 35-mm camera for use during the vacation, all free. Landwirth is quick to point out that his dream is made possible through the generosity of others, though not a single corporate partner is advertised at the Village. From carpeting to ice cream to toys and theme park tickets, almost everything is donated by more than 150 corporate sponsors, with a majority of them IAAPA members. Because of these efforts, 92.5 cents of every dollar donated goes directly to programs for the families. Manpower is another windfall, with 2,000 dedicated volunteers from teens to seniors, affectionately known as “Angels,” working 900 shifts every week. It’s estimated that volunteers save GKTW $2 million annually—the cost if their positions were to be filled by hourly workers. But behind all those numbers are a child beaming, a mom or dad laughing, stories to melt your heart. Surprisingly, there are no doctors or hospital beds at the Village, though they are just a phone call away. It’s a memory-filled getaway that’s a treat for the whole family. For some children, it’s their first opportunity to travel, and it may be the last. “Brilliant!” squeals freckle-faced seven-year-old Brannágh McCabe of Omagh, Northern Ireland, when asked about his stay at GKTW Village. Along with his immediate family—dad Eamonn, mom Nuala, and seven-month-old Tírna-Kate, Brannágh asked to bring along his 10-year-old cousin and best friend, Orin. Brannágh has an immune deficiency and must have a blood transfusion every three weeks. It took doctors nearly two years to diagnose the disorder, an agonizing time spent in hospitals with pneumonia and other serious illnesses. The boy’s humble wish was for a hamster, but his doctor encouraged him to wish bigger, for an unimaginable trip to Central Florida. At Give Kids The World Village, he’s just another bright-eyed boy on GKTW’s brand-new dinosaur-themed golf course, his favorite diversion at the Village where he spent hours practicing his putt. “We got to leave it all behind and relax,” says Nuala. “It’s a magical place, absolutely amazing.” And though Brannágh is in bed early each evening, the all-expenses-paid, weeklong stay affords plenty of time to experience it all. Though the theme parks are a big draw, some families are thrilled just to spend a quiet day of their week at the charming Village, where buildings are shaped like banana splits or painted cotton-candy pink, with names like Castle of Miracles and Claytonburg Park of Dreams. Castle of Miracles is a favorite, a fantastic fairytale structure with a wheelchair-accessible carousel, a playroom with a talking wishing well, and a puppet theater in the round. Best of all, each child gets to put his or her name on a star to forever decorate the ceiling, a symbolic gesture that promises they won’t ever be forgotten. There are plenty of these magical moments, including Christmas every Thursday, since there’s a chance that some children may not have the opportunity again. Dinner at the Gingerbread House restaurant is turkey and dressing, with a visit from Santa and Mrs. Claus. Then the families decorate cookies and take a horse-and-carriage ride, and the finale is “snow” falling outside the Ice Cream Palace. Another gift is for mom and dad. Wednesdays are Parents’ Night Out, with free dinners donated by area restaurants, as well as donated AT&T Wireless cell phones to take along to ease worries, for many parents who haven’t had a night off in years. But mostly GKTW Village is just a place where a kid can be a kid. There are pony rides, magic shows, movies, a fishing pond, mini-golf, and a heated swimming pool where wheelchair-bound kids can roll right in. The Village’s 96 two-bedroom, two-bath villas are all in close proximity to activities. They are so close, in fact, that Mayor Clayton, that six-foot-tall bunny, makes nightly rounds to tuck in little ones. From the moment families check in at the sunshine yellow House of Hearts, there’s a strong sense of belonging. Hugs are frequent from every staffer and volunteer. For some children, like three-year-old Jaret Cerino of Columbus, Ohio, the fun didn’t start until they arrived, because Jaret, who is hearing impaired, did not understand the meaning of “vacation.” His deafness is a result of chemotherapy treatments for neuroblastoma, a cancer of the immature nerve cells. So it wasn’t until he glimpsed GKTW’s Amerberville Train Station that he smiled with delight. “Because he’s deaf, it’s hard for him to comprehend what’s happening,” says his mother, Tina. “And his big brother, Jacob, who’s five, has had a rough couple of years since Jaret’s diagnosis in 2001.” The trip to Central Florida was the first family vacation following months in a hospital bed. Tina had to quit her job. “Our life came to a stop,” she says. Their local wish-granting organization arranged the trip to GKTW Village. “This trip means so much to us because it is a great family time, we got to leave it all behind,” says Tina. Though Jaret returns for more radiation, the dream vacation “re-energized our family,” she says. And the respite could add precious days to their time. Thanks to a partnership with IAAPA, the families can sustain the fun once they’re home. In 1994, IAAPA and GKTW initiated the World Passport for Kids, providing admission to more than 350 IAAPA theme parks and attractions worldwide for families following their stay at the Village. The passport is good for one year and gives the whole family something to look forward to at a time when energies—and budgets—may be stretched. “Members of the IAAPA community touch our lives every day,” says Pamela Landwirth, president of GKTW. “As you look around the Village, you can clearly see the impact IAAPA has made. From the design and construction of our whimsical buildings to the donation of items such as the carousel, their kindness is evident. Not only do they ensure that the children enjoy a magical experience at the Village, but they graciously extend their support through the World Passport Program after the families return home. We are immensely thankful for all that IAAPA has contributed—a collaboration like this is incomparable.” If you would like to help support Give Kids The World through the World Passport for Kids program or by donating goods, call GKTW at 407/396-1114 or visit www.gktw.org.
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