Creating Magical Memories for Children with Critical Illnesses

Every year in the U.S., 27,000 children are diagnosed with critical illnesses. That’s 27,000 families whose lives are turned upside down. Play dates, soccer games, and sleepovers are replaced with doctor appointments, hospital stays and medical treatments.

But, when they arrive at Give Kids The World, families are transported to a storybook world straight from a child’s dreams. At this 84-acre, nonprofit resort in Central Florida, critically ill children and their families receive weeklong, cost-free vacations complete with accommodations, transportation, meals, donated attraction tickets and so much more.

The Village features …

• 166 two-bedroom villas
• A carousel
• A child-size train
• Wheelchair-accessible pools
• A CANDY LAND playground
• A dinosaur-themed mini golf course
• An ice cream palace

And that’s only the beginning. There are parties every day, including weekly celebrations of Halloween and Christmas, complete with costumes, parades and even snow!

At Give Kids The World Village, children are immersed in magic and fun, while their parents get to relax, with a week free of scheduling, cleaning, cooking or paying bills. It’s a week of laughter, fun, and time together.

How You Can Help

Central Florida is the number one destination for critically ill children taking a wish trip. Whether they go to Walt Disney World Resort, Universal Orlando Resort, SeaWorld Orlando or other Central Florida attractions, Give Kids The World Village is a perfect home-away-from-home.

The Village can serve those children and families only because generous individuals and companies – often through workplace giving campaigns – donate to make their wishes come true.

Every donation helps make magic for children battling critical illnesses. And, when you donate to Give Kids The World Village, rest assured your money is being used responsibly. Give Kids The World has been recognized as a top-performing, Four Star Charity by Charity Navigator for 13 consecutive years. For every dollar donated, more than 93 cents goes directly to the programs for the children and families.

Here are just a few examples of how employee donations can help Give Kids The World create an unforgettable experience for children and families:

• $25 can provide a family with unlimited ice cream for a week from the Village’s beloved Ice Cream Palace.
• $50 can help support horseback riding and fishing programs.
• $100 can help fund daily parties such as Halloween, Winter Wonderland, or BBQ pool parties.
• $250 can support the gift-giving program. Every day while families visit the theme parks, Give Kids The World “Gift-Giving Fairies” visits each villa and leave special surprises.

$6,800 can provide a family’s weeklong, cost-free trip to Give Kids The World Village. 

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.