Expansion Update - Fairy Tale Forest

Nearly two years after it was announced, Give Kids The World’s expansion effort continues to take form. Upon completion, forty-two new castle and cottage-themed villas will help Give Kids The World provide accommodations for 7,500 families each year. Only through the unwavering support and commitment of generous local construction companies can these villas be completed. Two such companies are Johnson Brothers Corporation, and Modern Plumbing Industries, Inc.

A long-standing dedicated partner of Give Kids The World, Johnson Brothers Corporation brings the experience and expertise needed to complete some of the infrastructure of an expanded Village. Last fall, Johnson Brothers completed the underground storm, sanitary and water work needed before construction on the new family villas could begin. In addition, Johnson Brothers assisted the Village by identifying and introducing new companies and partnerships to help meet other critical expansion needs.

Modern Plumbing Industries, Inc. has been a partner of Give Kids The World for more than a decade. Modern Plumbing has already completed installation of the underground plumbing for the first seven villas, and has committed to supplying all plumbing labor for the remaining villas.

Give Kids The World is proud to work with Johnson Brothers Corporation and Modern Plumbing Industries, Inc., along with all of our other devoted partners for their continued participating and effort as we work together to expand our Village.

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Corporate Volunteerism

In recent months, Give Kids The World has had the privilege of welcoming a variety of large corporate volunteer groups to the Village. Much needed work has been accomplished in very little time thanks to these generous, hard-working Angels.

Over 350 employees from Lenovo-Americas, a worldwide leader in technology and personal computers and laptops, helped the Village during a two-day volunteer teambuilding event. Lenovo employees painted the area around Audrey’s pool, deep cleaned family villas, assisted in the Gingerbread House Restaurant and created brightly colored murals around the Expansion construction walls. Everyone had a great time and left a lasting imprint on Give Kids The World. Lenovo also surprised the Village with a generous donation of $5,000 along withfive laptops, five desktop computers andten 22” flat-screen monitors.

This April, Give Kids The World welcomed a hard-working and motivated group from Texas Roadhouse, the popular steakhouse restaurant chain, for a full day of volunteerism and family-fun, Texas-style. The enthusiastic group worked all day completing special projects around the Village and ended the day by throwing a barbecue for Village families, complete with live country music, games and delicious food. The highlight of the day for both Give Kids The World and the Texas Roadhouse team was the chance to meet a Texas Roadhouse volunteer who would be returning to the Village with her family in May – for her child’s Wish vacation.

The Village also welcomed the return of the Golf Channel for their annual “Cares Day” volunteer outing. They spent the morning dedicated to a variety of projects including laying pavers, landscaping, deep cleaning villas, and even serving breakfast! Golf Channel supports Give Kids The World through service and charitable giving. Last fall, they announced the adoption of two villas in the expansion. Employees contribute to this campaign through employee giving and creative fundraising activities.

Additional volunteer groups included the generous employees of Frito-Lay, who donated not only their time and energy but also hundreds of bags of snack chips for our families. Genie Industries, a Terex Company, also volunteered at the Village for the first time during their April conference. This company was incredibly moved by our mission and presented a $5,000 donation during their volunteer visit. Then, during their evening dinner, continued to talk about the inspiring day with Give Kids The World and collected another $2,800!

Our friends at Burger King and the Have It Your Way Foundation celebrated the adoption of four villas as part of the expansion. The dedicated employees spent the afternoon working in the expansion area, building scaffolding, hauling concrete, and sweeping up the overall site. On the following Thursday, a second group of Burger King employees came to the Village to finish the new deck around the Carousel and to assist with landscaping needs. Village families enjoyed the celebration with Burger King and received special gift bags along with a visit from the famous Burger KING.

Finally, Universal Orlando’s “Women Leaders” group assisted the Village recently by serving breakfast, helping in our administrative offices and leading activities along the Avenue of Angels for our visiting families.

Everyone at Give Kids The World thanks all of the recent corporate groups for their time, talent, tremendous work and dedication to the Village and our special families.  We look forward to their return!

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Volunteer Groups

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Mickey Maniacs

On May 15, the Mickey Maniacs group from Larose-Cut Off, Louisiana, returned to the Village for their 10th anniversary visit. The group created a Hawaiian luau-themed event on the Avenue of Angels for our Wish Families. The Mickey Maniacs then made a great gift to the Village with the dedication of Mary Kate’s Express, a new mini-van to use to transport Wish Families, along with the presentation of $71,000. This generous donation brought the donation total for the past ten year to over $300,000!

The Mickey Maniacs are dedicated and loving volunteers that hold the Village close to their hearts. Over the years, several families from their hometown have experienced a Give Kids The World Wish. The Village’s big blue train, Brayden’s Express, was named after a former Wish Child and Mickey Maniac. We look forward to next year’s visit and to meeting many more members of this one-of-a-kind volunteer group.

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Volunteer Recognition

One of our special Angels, Katrina Dapkus, has been named “Employee of the Year” at Lockheed Martin.  Her dedication to helping the community through her volunteer work for the United Way and Give Kids The World, has earned her a well deserved recognition.

The Kissimmee Elks’ Club has honored our devoted Angel, Wayne Fryer, with the “Citizen of the Year Award.”  The award is given to one person who has volunteered in/for the community, and has gone above and beyond the usual volunteer duties. 

Marilyn Allens, a long-time volunteer and supporter of the Magic Pillow Program, presented the Village with her 2,500th pillow case, showcased in a commemorative frame.  Marilyn took the time to personally sew each and every one of the 2,500 donated pillow cases and promises that her new goal is to complete 5,000 – all to keep the Magic Pillow Program one of the most popular activities in the Village.  

Congratulations and thank you to all of our Angels who dedicate their time and talent to help make Give Kids The World the unique Village it is today. We could not do it without your love, compassion and support.

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Volunteer Orientation Sessions

Becoming an official Give Kids The World Angel is simple. Those interested in joining our Angel family must attend one of our Volunteer Orientation sessions. This important session is mandatory for all incoming volunteers. It provides an overview of our Give Kids The World mission, core values, as well as information about the various jobs and experiences that volunteers can participate in. Attending a session is all you have to do before you can jump right in!

Encourage your co-workers, friends and family to join you at one of our Volunteer Orientation sessions. Together you can become Angels who will make a difference in the lives of our families. Below are upcoming volunteer training opportunities. If you or someone you know is interested, please call Volunteer Services at 407-396-0770. Thank you.

Volunteer Orientation Sessions:
Wednesday, May 28 from 3:00-6:00 PM
Saturday, June 7 from 2:00-5:00 PM
Sunday, June 15 from 2:00-5:00 PM
Wednesday, June 25 from 3:00-6:00 PM

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Upcoming Training Dates

Digital Photography Training Dates:
Sunday, June 1 from 1:00-2:00 PM
Sunday, June 15 from 1:00-2:00 PM
Sunday, July 6 from 1:00-2:00 PM
Sunday, July 20 from 1:00-2:00 PM

Character Training Dates:
Sunday, May 25 from 1:00-5:00 PM
Thursday, June 5 from 1:00-5:00 PM
Sunday, June 8 from 1:00-5:00 PM
Thursday, June 19 from 1:00-5:00 PM
Sunday, June 22 from 1:00-5:00 PM
Thursday, July 3 from 1:00-5:00 PM
Sunday, July 13 from 1:00-5:00 PM
Thursday, July 17 from 1:00-5:00 PM
Sunday, July 27 from 1:00-5:00 PM
Thursday, August 7 from 1:00-5:00 PM
Sunday, August 10 from 1:00-5:00 PM
Thursday, August 21 from 1:00-5:00 PM
Sunday, August 24 from 1:00-5:00 PM

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Did You Know?

Did you know that Give Kids The World celebrated its 20th Anniversary Black & White Gala event on May 10? Admission to many of the US’s greatest sporting events, a Saturn Sky Roadster and an exquisite set of jewelry designed by Dame Elizabeth Taylor were just a few of the many spectacular items that made up the exciting Live and Silent Auctions. The elegant evening raised $650,000 for the Village!

The Black & White Gala has been held at The Peabody Orlando since 1988. The annual event has grown to include 1,400 special friends of the Village and over the last twenty years has raised a total of more than $8 million.

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Family Quote

“To the volunteers and personnel at GKTW,

What a truly amazing experience this was, and what first class individuals you all are. Just when we thought we were limited into not being able to do  things that "normal" families do, we found out that their is a place in Central Florida where dreams really do come true, where we can just be ourselves amongst similar families. A place where our son could ride the merry-go-round on his own - FOR HIS FIRST TIME.  For once we were at a place that certainly lives up to its name…Giving Kids The World is exactly what you do the best. 

First, and foremost, you put Juan on a pedestal...a place where he has never been before…However, in the process you also did the same for us.  With so many families you managed to make us feel like we were the only family at the Village. I'm sure every family can lay claim to that. Whether you scooped the delicious ice cream, checked us in, greeted us throughout the Village, offered advice, etc. You did it with class.

If every corporation had the teamwork that you all have, the workplace would be a better place.  If the whole world did things the way you do, the world would be a better place to live. The fact that you allowed our family to experience this makes us a better family.
You see that week we did things as a family, something we weren't able to do before the vacation. Because of that we will now make time to do things together.  Thank you for opening our eyes to that. 

From the day we left the winter wonderland of our hometown and arrived at GKTW, which was in full blown sunshine, through the day we departed, we had the time of our lives.  There are not enough words to fully express our sincere gratitude to everyone at GKTW because each and every one of you had a role in bringing joy to our family.”

Sincerely,
Juan’s family

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Keep up with all of our News

Enjoy receiving the Angel Advisor? Think your friends and family would like to receive it as well? Tell them to sign up for our e-newsletters. The quarterly Angel Advisor and Miracles & Memories newsletters, along with our various e-news alerts are great ways to stay up on all that is new at Give Kids The World. To sign up to receive our newsletters, anyone can visit www.gktw.org/join. Share our web address today!

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