KISSIMMEE, Fla., April 16,
2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Up to 500 volunteers and wish
families will gather at Give Kids The World Village on Saturday, April 20, to commemorate a remarkable
milestone. Volunteers have served 5 million hours and filled
1.6 million volunteer shifts at the Village, an 89-acre, whimsical
nonprofit resort in Central
Florida that provides children with critical illnesses and
their families from around the world with magical week-long wish
vacations at no cost.
"Volunteers are the very heart of the Village," says Give Kids
The World President & CEO Pamela
Landwirth. "Our goal is to spread joy, inspire hope, and
create magical memories for our precious guests. We simply
could not fulfill our mission without our amazing volunteers.
We are grateful beyond words that they choose to share their time,
talents and hearts with us. Our volunteers change the lives of our
wish families, and in the process, their own lives are
enriched."
Every week, volunteers ranging from students and families to
seniors, snowbirds, faith, community and corporate group members,
and conference attendees fill up to 1,800 volunteer shifts to make
wishes possible. Volunteers contribute an average of 229,000
volunteer hours each year serving meals; operating the accessible
rides and attractions; hosting parties and celebrations; assisting
with daily gift-giving; supporting the character program;
delivering pizza; scooping ice cream; and countless other roles and
responsibilities that are integral to creating unforgettable wish
vacations.
In addition to donating their time, talent and passion,
volunteers save the Village nearly $7.3
million annually in operating expenses – making a tremendous
financial impact on the Village and its ability to fulfill growing
numbers of wishes while maintaining its strong fiscal
responsibility, with 92.7 cents of
every dollar going directly to programs and services for wish
families.
More than 30,000 children in the U.S. are diagnosed with a
critical illness each year, and half of those who are eligible for
a wish choose to visit Central
Florida and its world-renowned attractions. Give Kids The
World is the nonprofit that fulfills all of these wishes. From
life's simple pleasures to the stuff that dreams are made of, every
wish family is treated to an all-inclusive experience including
transportation; accommodations; all meals and snacks; nightly
entertainment; donated theme park tickets; daily gifts; and
more. Since 1986, nearly 200,000 wish children and their
families from all 50 states and 77 countries have been welcomed to
the Village to laugh together, play together, and create priceless
memories away from hospital stays and medical treatments.
Give Kids The World's mission to create the happiness that
inspires hope for wish families is made possible by the generosity
of caring corporate partners and individual donors. To make a
donation, visit www.gktw.org/donate. To learn more about
volunteering, visit www.gktw.org/volunteer/.
Media Contact:
Cindy Elliott
5628961177
376191@email4pr.com
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SOURCE Give Kids The World Village