The guests at Give Kids The World aren’t the only ones who leave the Village with heartwarming experiences. While helping to create fun-filled vacations for children with life-threatening illnesses, students benefit from community service projects and internships at the Village. These experiences enable the students to learn the basics of resort operations—and more important, lessons on life.

Sudents of all ages often become involved with the Village through classroom campaigns that collect toys and other essentials such as cameras, rain ponchos, and flashlights for GKTW families. The students also generously volunteer their time and talents at the Village doing landscaping, serving meals, and wrapping gifts. Through these good works, many students fulfill their community service requirements for scout badges and high school graduation.

On the college level, students from local universities practice their skills through internships with various Village departments. GKTW has already successfully offered opportunities for college interns to assist with entertainment programs, communications strategies, and resort facilities management.

GKTW also welcomes students from the Walt Disney World College Program (WDWCP) to help with Parents’ Night Out, scheduled for every Wednesday and Sunday. During Parents’ Night Out, WDWCP students visit the Village and baby-sit the children of GKTW families so parents can go out for “date night” dinners at nearby restaurants. For most of these parents, an evening out alone is a rare, much-appreciated treat.

The Power of Play
Schwabinchen, a polka-themed spinning ride, was retired from Cedar Point last year with a special gift donation made to GKTW in honor of the many happy memories that the attraction created for Scott Fais. While growing up in Ohio, Fais spent summers in Sandusky, where he visited his grandmother, as well as played and worked at Cedar Point. More than a Cedar Point fan, Fais considers himself an “alumni”—like most past employees.

After graduating from Otterbein College, Fais moved to Orlando to be a reporter for Central Florida News 13. Through his work on stories for the feature segment “Building Community,” Fais has reported on several community service projects for GKTW. Background research for these stories helped him understand the special connection between Cedar Point and GKTW’s mission, and Fais learned that GKTW guests receive an IAAPA World Passport that invites them to visit Cedar Point and other participating IAAPA member facilities after their stay at the Village.

For Schwabinchen’s retirement, Fais worked for a weekend at Cedar Point as a ride host so he could say good-bye. Upon his return to Central Florida, Fais decided to contribute the paycheck from his farewell adventure to GKTW. Along with his gift, Fais included a note:

“I am excited to enclose a donation to Give Kids The World as a tribute to Schwabinchen. In her 32 years of service at Cedar Point, ‘The Lady in Red’ gave more than 15 million rides! I feel fortunate to have grown up with the dancing maiden and to have four summers during college working at Cedar Point—where I made some of the best friends of my life. That’s why when I returned to work at Cedar Point, it seemed like child’s play. That is why I feel so strongly that this money should go toward other kids’ play. The chance to escape doesn’t just work wonders in the lives of special children, but in the lives of their whole families. Dodging reality for a day at Cedar Point or a week in Orlando is magic, just like a dance with Schwabinchen. Keep up the good work!”

Fais plans to go back to Sandusky this summer to report a news story about Cedar Point’s new strata-coaster Top Thrill Dragster, and the park’s partnership with GKTW.