Volunteerism is the Real Extension of the American Heart

Henri Landwirth—Holocaust survivor, successful hotelier and visionary—established Give Kids The World (GKTW) in 1986 to bring happiness and hope into the lives of children with life-threatening illnesses and their families.

His vision for the “storybook” resort, where families are treated to weeklong, cost-free fantasy vacations, was founded on the principle of volunteerism.

From the beginning, the “GKTW Angels” were an integral part of the resort’s operations.  They filled necessary positions including: greeters, meal servers, groundskeepers, gift givers, drivers, entertainers, ice cream scoopers and much more.

Henri’s belief that volunteerism was the key to achieving our mission was so strong that in 1992 he hired one full-time employee to manage volunteer recruitment and activity organization.  Today, our Volunteer Services Department includes six full-time staff members who help fill more than 1,400 shifts every week!

Henri believed in the beauty and selflessness of volunteerism, clocking an immeasurable number of hours himself at GKTW. Over the last 25 years, he has witnessed thousands of retirees, students, corporate professionals, community groups, families and individuals giving their time, talent and hearts to bring happiness and hope into the lives of our precious children. He knew that our Angels would change the lives of our children – and that our children would change the lives of our Angels.

 
“Volunteerism is a real extension of the American heart and the foundation of Give Kids The World,” said Henri. “And, I watched it beat in earnest.”

Henri is a 2012 recipient of the President’s Volunteer Services Award.