What Is Give Kids The World Village?

I What Is Give Kids The World Village? #GKTWBash13. Disclosure ~ Sponsored Post

What Is Give Kids The World Village?

Give Kids the World Village, in the backyard of Disney, off the busy tourist strip of State Road 192, tucked away in a quiet neighborhood, is a magical place right out of a page of a fairy tale.

This is a place where Once Upon a Times do come true. A place where happiness, joy and love are the prescribed medicines. A place with no bedtimes, ice cream for breakfast and the world’s largest Candy Land game. This is spirit of Give Kids the World Village.

What is Give Kids the World Village?

GKTW Village is a 70 acre nonprofit family-friendly resort where children with life threatening illnesses and their families can come and stay for FREE for weeklong fantasy vacations with their loved ones. Yes, I said for FREE. Because of many generous contributions, these special families can come and relax, get away from the stress, and focus on being a family. The families are provided everything from meals, rooms, theme park tickets, goodies and smiles! Everything is catered towards kids and their imaginations. Whimsical venues, clever names, bright colors and loving staff all come together to make dreams into realities for these beautiful children.

I had to admit when I first signed up for to attend the Give Kids The World Blogger Bash, I had no idea what GKTW was or where it was located. Even with 6 years of pediatric nursing experience in Orlando, I had never even heard the mention of this place. That was a very sad realization as my eyes were open wide to everyone and everything that makes this place so unique. Hope you enjoy my little sneak peek of Give Kids The World Village.

What makes GKTW Village so special? The pictures tell all 🙂

Every kid that stays at GKTW Village gets to create a special star that gets hung inside the Castle of Miracles. They fill out the star and then can locate it the next day. Thousands of stars are glistening inside the Castle. I got to listed to wonderful stories of families and kids who have returned to locate their stars.

The famous GKTW Carousel is attached to the Castle of Miracles. This beautiful and fully functional carousel allows any kid to ride one of the wooden carved animals.

Julie’s Safari Theatre is great place for big gatherings, including Teen Movie Night, Village Idol and Winter Wonderland.

Amberville Train Station is filled with video games, remote controlled boats, a HUGE working model train set. Yes, you can ride a train too!

The Gingerbread House Restaurant is a comfortable eating area for the families. You get to eat comfort food too. We enjoyed a FULL Thanksgiving dinner! Lining the shelves inside are beautiful stuffed animals and keepsakes that families had donated after staying at GKTW. It was tear jerking to walk around and see so many lovies looking down on you as we ate, each labeled with the child who held them.

The family villas are so homey! Clean and comfy, each villa is fully equipped to house their families. The guest of honor gets a King sized bed with jacuzzi tub! I love that GKTW leaves little gifts on the tables, with lots of great gifts to make priceless memories (such as art and recordable books).

I love that you can find magical and friendly faces everywhere you turn. The venues at GKTW are really something special!

And if the décor isn’t enough, the entertainment will astound you! Every day is a new theme at GKTW Village.

Sunday – BIGGEST game of Candy Land on the planet
Monday – Halloween. Every kid gets to go Trick-or-Treating
Tuesday – Birthday Party! Celebrate everyone’s birthday, complete with cake!
Wednesday – Idol Night. Kids get to show off their talents on stage. Everyone gets smiles, laughs and comes out a winner!
Thursday – Christmas – Santa, Christmas Party complete with reindeer games, presents (sponsored by Hasbro), and parade!
Friday -Enchanted Tea Party followed by a Pirates and Princesses Party (complete with costumes!)
Saturday – Big Splash Bash at The Park of Dreams splash area

SO how can we help?

Consider Donating. 91.6% of every dollar goes towards making those beautiful children’s dreams come true. That’s almost 92 cents of every dollar, which is an astronomical margin of giving! GKTW is a nonprofit organization, offering plenty of individual, family and corporate opportunities to donate and has been recognized as one of the . Perhaps finances are tight. Consider donating items such as old Christmas decorations or Trick-or-Treat goodies.
Consider Volunteering. There are 1,200 volunteer shifts to be filled every week. From as young as 13 years old to as “young” as 99 years old, from CEOs to families, there is a volunteer position for everyone. Thoughtfully consider donating just a little bit of your time every year to make a difference in someone’s life.
Consider Praying. Pray for the continued success of this nonprofit organization. Pray for the staff, the volunteers, the givers, and especially those children and families. A little prayer goes a long way!
Spread the Word! If you were like me, maybe you had never heard about GKTW. But just your words and actions can help spread this good cause around like wildfire. Make GKTW a household name so others can get involved too!

I can’t express enough how important GKTW emphasizes family time, especially in such a heart-breaking situation. I’m tearing up just writing about this, because I have witnessed myself while working in the hospital the horrible experience that families endure when there is a child with a life threatening illness. Sometimes as a family you need to get away and focus on the good, the happy and the priceless moments. In the midst of the tears, fears, and endless hours of concentrating on the child’s physical health, GKTW Village provides that ray of hope for a family’s mental and emotional psyche. GKTW has NEVER turned down a child. They have always been able to accommodate a child’s wish!! This is AMAZING!

Give Kids The World Blogger Bash was the perfect opportunity for me to laugh, to cry and to smile so wide my cheeks hurt going home. But most importantly, Give Kids the World left a lasting impression on me and my family. We will be back to donate our time, our money, our thoughts and our prayers for one of the most courageous charities out there. They dare to be different. They dare to take on the challenge to inspire happiness, courage and hope for the future. They dare to accept anyone and everyone as they are with open arms. GKTW is unlike any place I have ever visited. And surely after visiting, I will NEVER forget this opportunity to spread the word about a great nonprofit organization that has pulled at my heartstrings for years to come.

Disclosure ~ I attended a FREE Give Kids the World Blogger Bash when I received information, swag, a nice hotel stay and a yummy meal in exchange for this posting. Though the Bash was free, the opinions are 100% my own!