Give Kids The World Village is a non-profit resort that works closely with The Make-A-Wish Foundation to provides cost-free Disney World vacations for children who are battling critical illness along with their families.
But due to the global health crisis and the vulnerability of its guests, the resort has remained closed, and sadly they don’t know when they’ll be able to resume granting kids’ wishes.
Pamela Landwirth, President and CEO of Give Kids The World, posted this message on social media today regarding the current status of the non-profit. Since the children they assist have medical issues, it seems inadvisable for them to grant wishes involving trips to Disney World’s theme parks upon their reopening.
Because The Village has had to shutter itself and will stay closed indefinitely, the group has had to make the difficult decision to lay off the majority of their staff which will go into effect June 27th. A small staff will be retained to ensure the upkeep of The Village as well as prepare for Give Kids The World’s eventual reopening.
We wish this wonderful organization that has provided so many kids with happy memories over the years nothing but the best and a speedy return to their very important work! For ways you can help Give Kids The World, click here.
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Have you ever visited Give Kids The World Village? Let us know in the comments below.
Disneydamsel says
Hi DFB gang! Thanks for all the great content! I need to give an even bigger thanks though, for this blog on GKTW!!! While the content is beyond sad, I’ve never seen you mention them before, so I’m very excited! When they are able to reopen, they’re going to need more help than ever financially, through volunteering, or just spreading the word! So many people don’t even know of it’s existence, even though it’s been around since the 80’s. I live in S Fl, so am lucky to visit WDW quite often. My 2 sisters and I started volunteering at GKTW a little over 2 years ago. They thought I was pure crazy at first…leave the magic of Disney and surround ourselves with sick and terminally ill children? They didn’t think they could handle it. I convinced them to try it once, and if they didn’t like it, they could drop me off from now on. Well, 2 years and many shifts later, we really look forward to going there just as much as Disney, if not even more sometimes. We now say that we visit 2 very magical places when we go to Orlando because yes, while the reason for such a place is heartbreaking (can’t say I’ve never shed a tear or two after leaving, of course) the pure wonder and happiness that is GKTW will fill your heart with such joy that you might feel it’ll burst! They are also such an excellent example of what a non profit could and should be. About 92 cents of every dollar donated goes directly to the village, not to advertising, fundraising or quite frankly, into someone’s pocket, which is the unfortunate case of too many organizations. The story of how GKTW came to be, is itself quite remarkable. I urge everyone to check it out! Thanks again DFB! Stay well!