Give Kids The World Village Makes a Difference for the Bravest Kids and Their Families

Oct 8, 2019 4:30 PM ET

Each year 27,000 children in the United States are diagnosed with a life-threatening illness. For these children, simple surprises and joys of life are eclipsed by doctors’ visits, hospital stays, medical tests and treatments. The lives of their family members shift to a place of fear and stress. The desire to preserve limited childhood years and creating new memories as a family can seem daunting.

These are the families that Give Kids The World Village welcomes to a place where time slows down. At the Village, these brave children are met with surprises around every corner, as they and their families are immersed in joy, hope and fun for a few unforgettably happy days.

Since 1986, more than 175,000 children and families from around the world have had their wishes granted at the storybook setting. Give Kids The World Village is an 84-acre, nonprofit resort in Central Florida that provides weeklong, cost-free vacations to children with life-threatening illnesses and their families.

The Village is home to 168 villas, each welcoming new families daily. During their stay, the families can enjoy an enchanted carousel, a child-size train, wheelchair accessible pools, horse stables, a CANDY LAND playground, a dinosaur-themed mini golf course, an ice cream palace and more. There is no shortage of celebrations, including weekly Halloween and Christmas parades and parties, as well as the birthday of Mayor Clayton, a six-food rabbit who serves as honorary mayor and mascot of the Village.

The mission of Give Kids The World is simple: to provide everything these deserving families need to make their visit the vacation of a lifetime. In order to continue creating happiness that inspires hope for children and their families, Give Kids The World relies on the support of its donors, sponsors and volunteers.

How You Can Help

Give Kids The World Village is the number one destination for wishes of children with life-threatening illnesses, and each year, the number of children Give Kids The World serves significantly increases. Whether a child wishes to visit Walt Disney World Resort, Universal Orlando Resort, SeaWorld Orlando or other Central Florida attractions, Give Kids The World Village is their home for a week of exciting adventures.

As Give Kids The World grows and continues providing the vacations of a lifetime to children, the Village looks to generous donors to contribute to making these wishes come true. Workplace giving campaigns are wonderful ways companies can help.

Every donation matters in keeping the magic alive for children living with a life-threatening illness. Give Kids The World Village has repeatedly been recognized as a top-performing, Four-Star Charity by Charity Navigator, and more than 93 cents of every dollar we spend goes directly to programs for the children and families we serve.

To learn more visit: givekidstheworld.org

Support Give Kids The World Village through your employee giving program:

As a donor, you can support GKTW by donating to them through your employer’s workplace giving program (CFC#11874 if you're a military or federal employee participating in the Combined Federal Campaign). Payroll pledges made through employer-sponsored charitable giving programs represent a cost effective and near effortless way to support your favorite charities.

As GKTW's workplace giving partner, America’s Charities can help your company design and implement a program centered on supporting their work - through workplace giving campaigns, employee fundraising, cause-focused signature programs, volunteerism, donation drives, matching gifts, Dollars-for-Doers, In-Kind Giving and other employee engagement and philanthropic initiatives. Click here to request a demo and learn how we can help you do this.