Funworld September 2007

Donate Your Treasures to GKTW

by Kathy Aubruner

Surplus items such as plush, electronics, candy, and more can help bring an extra ounce of joy to Wish children

As the busy summer season comes to an end and IAAPA members begin to focus on making room in their warehouses for 2008 merchandise and supplies, Give Kids The World Village (GKTW) hopes everyone will consider donating their surplus items to the GKTW Gift Giving Program.

GKTW serves about 6,000 families, with 18,000 children, each year at its whimsical resort village, where children with life-threatening illnesses and their families can enjoy a few doctor-free days enjoying area attractions, special time on the resort, and fun meals and activities. Part of the fun includes a visit from Gift Fairies, who sneak in the villas while the families are away visiting theme parks. These fairies leave little toys, games, stuffed animals, or other fun gifts for the children as a special surprise for them to discover when they return home to their villas.

As the Village’s facilities continue to grow, GKTW remains dedicated to offering programs that make the resort a place unlike any other, where children with life-threatening illnesses and their families can create treasured memories to last a lifetime. The expansion of these programs requires additional supplies of all kinds, many of which IAAPA members can provide from their own overstocks, knowing these contributions will make a significant impact.

Due to medical bills and other stressors in their everyday lives, GKTW guests often do not have money to purchase souvenirs, and many of the Wish children do not have the endurance to spend the entire day at the parks. The little surprises they find in their villas help to keep their spirits high when energy is running low.

The gifts become cherished mementos. A teenager recently shared an update about one of those treasures in an e-mail, “My name is Jayson B. In 1999 my doctors found that I had leukemia. When I was 4, I got to stay at Give Kids The World. I’m 13 years old and cancer free now. Thank you so much for all the great things you did for me so that my wish came true. P.S. I still have my stuffed bass fish toy from my visit and love it as much now as the first day I got it.”

Puzzles, jewelry, stickers, hats, umbrellas, plush toys, duffel bags, mini photo albums, and other fun items are the types of supplies that will help GKTW with its Gift Giving program. Travel-sized items make it easiest for the kids to pack them in their luggage and enjoy them later in doctor offices and hospital rooms after they return home to their own communities. Items with outdated logos are also welcomed.

While GKTW needs gifts for children of all ages, the Village regularly has a shortage of items specifically for teenagers. In addition, GKTW also distributes surprises to the parents on special occasions such as Mother’s Day and Father’s Day. To accomplish their daily duties, the Gift Fairies need an annual supply of more than 125,000 items (approximately 18,000 children receive a gift every night of their weeklong stay at the Village).

In-kind donations for the Village’s other programs and operating areas are also welcome. GKTW can accept any size load of donations, from boxes to truckloads, year round. Exhibitors at IAAPA Attractions Expo 2007 can even transfer donations to GKTW after the trade show through Freeman, general services contractor for IAAPA. Upon receipt of items, GKTW can provide receipts and letters of acknowledgement for donors to file with their tax records. Watch future editions of FUNWORLD for updates on member contributions.

For more details about contributions of goods to GKTW, please call Kathy Aubruner at 800/995 KIDS, or e-mail kathya@gktw.org.
You can also visit the Village’s “How To Help” page at www.gktw.org.