The Official Newsletter of Give Kids The World Winter Edition2013

Family LetterDear Give Kids The World,

I am writing to thank GKTW for their generosity. My sister Faith, age three, has Trisomy 18, also known as Edwards Syndrome. In 2011 alone she spent about two and a half months in the hospital and had at least six blood transfusions. This time was difficult for our whole family. As the oldest child in our family, I needed to take over some of the household chores and help with the younger kids’ schoolwork. It was a stressful and scary time for us. But that’s also the time Faith was granted a wish trip. We were all very excited to get a break from our hectic, unpredictable lives.

We were very excited, particularly after looking at other peoples’ trips and their pictures. We were given a glorious six days at the best place on earth. The tickets to all the different places were amazing, the food was spectacular and the villa was roomy and comfortable for our family of seven. We came when you had the players from Notre Dame and Florida State visit, which was very cool! The staff was friendly and treated us like royalty.

Even after we left, we are still enjoying the benefits of our stay. The World Passport makes it feel like the wish trip never ends. Just a week ago, we visited Cedar Point, Seneca Caverns and Swings ‘N Things in Ohio…for free! We are now hoping to plan trips to Michigan’s Adventure and a few of the places on the Passport in Pennsylvania. We were so blessed by this trip. Our cousin was granted a wish trip and now they want to go to GKTW too! Thanks so much for the trip of a lifetime!

With appreciation, Grace, Age 14

“ We were given a glorious six days at the best place on earth.”

Something mAAgic in the AirSince 1996, hundreds of American Airlines current and former employees have organized an event through their Something mAAgic Foundation that helps bring wish families to GKTW for a week filled with amazing memories. Each year, wish families depart from their hometown as part of mAAgic flight to embark on a fun-filled week at the Village. The American Airlines employees make the trip extra special for the families by giving them a big send off. From a water salute to festive entertainment, these employee volunteers epitomize the word “mAAgic.” To date, the Something mAAgic

Foundation has raised more than $2 million in cash and in-kind donations to support the mAAgic flight program.

Recently, over 70 Angels from American Airlines came out to the Village to celebrate the 18th anniversary of mAAgic flight by sponsoring our Big Splash Bash. There was plenty of exciting entertainment, including a Pop Noggins booth where kids could superimpose their heads on animated

bodies, hair designs by Joy Brandel, gift bag tables and a catered dinner from another loyal partner of ours, Chuy’s

Restaurants. The festivities were a hit as wish families and Angels partied well in to the evening. It was truly a mAAgical

event. Thank you, American Airlines, for sharing your mAAgic with our special families.

Perkins Serves Up Hope and Happiness on Pancake Day

This September, Perkins Restaurant and Bakery locations around the country celebrated Give Kids The World Pancake Day by helping raise funds for the Village. For the third year in a row, customers were invited to make a donation to Give Kids The World and in return, they received a free short stack of pancakes. Donations support the Gingerbread House where Perkins has graciously provided free meals for wish families for more than two decades.

Mayor Clayton and Ms. Merry even made special visits to Perkins restaurants in Minnesota, Pennsylvania and Florida to greet wish families, volunteers and friends of the Village in attendance.

We are so grateful to Perkins & Marie Callender’s for their continued partnership in supporting GKTW. Their generosity helps bring families together for fellowship, food and fun.

IHG Conference Highlights Generous Partnership

“ On behalf of all the families who will be able to experience a week of magical memories in their new home away from home, we extend our heartfelt gratitude to IHG, the IHG Owners Association and all its loyal employees and guests for making this possible.”

~Pamela Landwirth, President, Give Kids The World

Since Give Kids The World began in 1986, InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG ®) has been a loyal partner and friend. During this time, IHG has raised more than $6 million for the Village through creative promotions, grassroots fundraisers, in-kind donations and coordinated special events all over the world. As one of the world’s leading hotel companies, their support has allowed us to do everything from recently constructing new villas so we can bring even more families to the Village to providing our wish families with an Express Start breakfast option so they can grab a quick, nutritious meal on their way to the theme parks.

Recently, the IHG Americas Investors and Leadership Conference took place in Las Vegas, Nevada. GKTW was invited to participate and received generous donations of $60,500 from Chesapeake Hospitality and $2,000 from Staybridge Suites of Minot, North Dakota. It was also an honor to be present as Mark Zipperer, President and CEO of Pride Hospitality, presented the top fundraiser award to Stephanie Robson from the Holiday Inn Express Circleville for raising over $600 by holding contests, bake sales and even a car show at the hotel benefiting Give Kids The World.

“ IHG has been a loyal supporter of our mission since we welcomed our very first family at the Holiday Inn Main Gate East more than two decades ago,” said Pamela Landwirth, President, Give Kids The World. “On behalf of all the families who will be able to experience a week of magical memories in their new home away from home, we extend our heartfelt gratitude to IHG, the IHG Owners Association and all its loyal employees and guests for making this possible.” The incredible support we’ve received from the IHG Owners Association, Staybridge Suites, Candlewood Suites, Holiday Inn, Holiday Inn Express and the other IHG brands has allowed us to help bring more families to the Village and to enhance their experience while they’re here. Their generous support allows us to grow and fulfill more children’s wishes to visit Central Florida. Thank you, IHG.

Hope and Faith Bridging the OceanIf you’ve ever been fortunate enough to meet Manri Osumi, you’ll understand why it is so easy to believe that one life can touch the hearts and minds of an entire nation. Manri is a college girl from Japan who is wise beyond her years. Growing up with devoted and loving parents, she learned early about the family traditions of respect, compassion and honor. From her father, Riki Osumi, a long-time senior executive with Tokyo Disneyland, she was taught the value of hard work. He also taught her to be an innovator and to see the world as it could be, not always the way it is.

Riki became impassioned about the idea of doing something similar to GKTW in Tokyo. Leaving his 20-year post at Disney to pursue his dream, the concept is well on its way to becoming a reality. He is already putting together vacations for families in Japan through his village concept called “Hope and Wish.”

Learning the key to making the “Village” so special, requires firsthand experience. What better way to learn than for Manri to do a two-week volunteer experience? She completed her Angel experience at GKTW this past summer.

Speaking through a translator, Manri remembered, “My first job as a volunteer was to help take pictures of the children with Mickey Mouse in Julie’s Safari Theatre. I will never forget that a little girl started a conversation in English, which I could not understand. After a few minutes of speaking to me, she turned to her mother and said, ‘I made a friend.’ It was so precious and almost made me cry.” The beauty was when her family left the theatre, the little girl insisted they return for a photo onstage with Manri!

Perhaps the most vivid lesson Manri will take home to Japan involves the American concept of volunteering. She points out that it is her country’s tradition that if you want something done, you must do it yourself. “What I learned as a volunteer at Give Kids The World is that I received much more than I could ever give these children. The experience enriched my life so much. I now see volunteering differently and I understand clearly that when I help someone, I will get much more in return.”

Once worried that she might be upset or saddened by her two weeks in the Village, what she found were families laughing, children smiling, loved ones enjoying their time together. “I saw tremendous happiness and love and through the stars placed by the children in the Castle of Miracles, I now see light where I feared darkness.”

What word or phrase best sums up Manri’s volunteer experience at Give Kids The World? “I would say, ‘thank

you,’ to all of the kids I met, the volunteers and the staff. It has been one of the best experiences of my

life, full of memories that I will take back to Japan so I can try to touch the hearts and minds of my countrymen.”

Hopping with Donations for Hope Guests of Kangaroo Express stores hopped on board in a big way with their latest fundraiser benefiting Give Kids The World. Throughout the month of October, Kangaroo Express stores, operated under parent company The Pantry, Inc., offered pinups for purchase with 100% of all donations benefiting GKTW. With more than 500 participating stores in Florida, Georgia, Alabama and Mississippi, patrons of their convenience stores generously bought the paper football pinups and raised more than $230,000 for the Village.

They also hosted the inaugural Roo Run 5k in October which raised $29,000. Appropriately, the Roo Run was a lively jaunt through the Jacksonville Zoo. Kangaroo Express has been a valued partner for two years, raising almost $2 million for GKTW through fundraisers like these. “We started with GKTW back in 2011, and we just fell in love with [the organization] instantly. [GKTW] uses their funds in such a great way that we knew this was the kind of organization that we wanted to partner with,” said Mamie Nesbit, Executive Assistant at Kangaroo Express.

Thanks to the dedicated commitment and generosity of Kangaroo Express, more deserving families will have their wishes fulfilled and experience a magical week of creating lasting memories.

Gingerbread Run Makes History

“ We started with GKTW back in 2011, and we just fell in love with [the organization] instantly. [GKTW] uses their funds in such a great way that we knew this was the kind of organization that we wanted to partner with.”

~Mamie Nesbit, Executive Assistant, Kangaroo Express

The fifth annual Gingerbread Run 5k presented by Aaron’s was held at the Village on November 2, and it was the biggest run yet. This year’s event raised over

$165,000 with more than 1,500 participants walking, running, strolling and rolling through the Village with numerous fun-filled surprises along the way. The event kicked off with Ethan Riewaldt from ERock Fitness warming up the crowd with some Zumba moves. As the race began, runners were cheered on by Mayor Clayton, Ms. Merry and, of course, Murphy the Gingerbread Man.

The Village was even more whimsical during the run, as the course wound through several new themed zones for this year, including an area where wish families were spraying runners with squirt guns! There was also the thunder zone where wish families and volunteers grabbed thunder sticks to make noise, encouraging the runners on their journey to the finish line. One of the most popular Village events, Winter Wonderland, was recreated for the runners as they ran through the “Florida” snow and were even greeted by Santa Claus. After the race, the fun continued with Nickelodeon hosting a Slime Show before the winners were presented with their awards. For a full list of winners, visit gingerbreadrun.org.

We could not have achieved this milestone goal without the hard work and incredible fundraising efforts of the participants and our sponsors. Special thank you to our presenting sponsor, Aaron’s, for your generous support again this year. We’d also like to thank Nickelodeon Suites Resort, Signature Flight Support Corporation, Boston Market, Orange Lake Resort, Mix 105.1, WKMG TV and Mix on Wheels for making this year’s Gingerbread Run a deliciously fun event for everyone.

Extreme Village Makeover is Almost Here! The countdown is in full swing as Extreme Village Makeover at Give Kids The World is just around the corner! Excitement is building as we prepare to celebrate the Village’s 25th Anniversary by completely renovating 100 villas. Wyndham Vacation Ownership is organizing the large-scale operation that will bring numerous general contractors and hundreds of subcontractors to the Village from January 12-25 for an around-the-clock remodeling initiative. Crews will work on cosmetic as well as structural upgrades to enhance the whimsy and comfort of the accommodations for our wish families.

This enormous undertaking would not be possible without the tireless dedication of the Wyndham Vacation Ownership (WVO) team led by Gary Rall, Vice President of Resort Renovation and Design. They not only identified and secured the general contractors to renovate the villas, but have collaborated with their vendors to secure the materials and additional labor needed to complete this milestone project. With our partnered efforts, we have been able to acquire new mattresses for every villa, new plumbing fixtures for all bathrooms and kitchens, most of the new furnishings that will adorn the villas and 3,000 gallons worth of interior paint to spruce up the inside of the villas. With in-kind donations totaling almost $2 million so far, it is one of the largest projects the Village has ever undertaken.

The new villas will be ready for families on January 27. When families resume traveling to the Village, they will be welcomed by modern enhancements and have more of the comforts of home. We can’t wait to share the final product with you!

For more information on Extreme Village Makeover and to learn how you can help, visit givekidstheworld.org/makeover.

Thank You to the EVM Steering

Committee MembersGary Rall, Vice President of Resort Renovation and Design, WVO George and Lisa Schott, Principals, Quietly Making Noise Karla Kross, Director of Project Management WVO Gina Harmon, Administrative Assistant, WVO Ira Locks, Vice President, Charles Wayne Properties Inc. Tony Mendez, Director of Safety and Loss Prevention, WVO Alisha Waterfield, Project Coordinator, WVO Beth Reitzel-Gordon VP of Procurement and Installation, WVO Dan Kling, Director of Operations Wyndham Extra Holidays, WVO Dana Schafer, Director of Design, WVO Dave Derrick, Director of Public Works, City of Kissimmee

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Boston Market Coupon Books Welcome in the Holiday Season

The joyous holiday season is quickly approaching and Boston Market has a great way for you to save some money while supporting GKTW. Our generous partner is once again offering a coupon book in their stores for $1, with a portion of the purchase price benefiting the Village. It’s an incredible value, as the coupons in the book offer $35 in savings to Boston Market customers. Additionally the contributions will help feed families visiting the Village.

For more than five years, Boston Market Corporation has been providing wholesome, delicious meals to our wish families by operating Katie’s Kitchen, a free-standing Boston Market restaurant located in the center of GKTW Village. Named in honor of an alumni wish child, Katie’s Kitchen has served over 400,000 complimentary lunches and dinners to wish families at the resort. Without their support, we could not provide the homestyle meals for the families who come to experience the magic of GKTW.

Great Gifts for the Holidays

As the holiday season approaches, find the perfect gift for everyone on your list at our online store. Visit givekidstheworldstore.org to see all the options.

Mayor Clayton and Ms. Merry Plushes $5.95 eachTake home this small version of the Village’s own mascots.

CANDY LAND Village Edition $10The special edition GKTW Village CANDY LAND board game features all of the whimsical venues and memorable characters the Village has to offer.

Plush Teddy Bear $9.95This cuddly bear will be the perfect companion any time of day!

Only

$100

Katie’s Kitchen serves Boston Market meals at no cost

to families staying at Give Kids The World Village.®©2013 Boston Market Corporation BOS-2907 V1 GKTW Coupon Book October 2013

Boston Market® is a proud sponsor of Give Kids The World, an organization that fulfills

the wishes of children with life-threatening illnesses. For the last 27 years, over 120,000 families from 50 states and more than 70 countries have visited Give Kids The World Village®

in Kissimmee, Florida, where

they are treated to a weeklong, cost-free vacation. Thanks to the generosity of our guests, we’ve been able to donate over $2.4 million to

this worthwhile organization. 85% of the purchase price of this coupon book benefits

Give Kids The World Village, with a guaranteed minimum donation of $500,000. GiveKidsTheWorld.org

Proceeds Benefit Give Kids The World Village®

U P T o $35 I n S aV I n G S !

COUPON BookCOUPON Book

Last April, Universal Orlando® Resort launched their Volunteer Vacation package, which combines the fun of their theme parks with the opportunity to give back by volunteering at GKTW. The Village recently welcomed the first two package purchasers, who happened to be former wish families. They were excited to return and give back to a place that holds a special spot in their hearts.

Laura Hatfield came to GKTW in August 2010 for her son Aidan’s wish trip and was amazed by the Village. As soon as she heard about the Volunteer Vacation package, Laura immediately jumped at the opportunity to combine her trip to volunteer with the chance to visit Universal Orlando® Resort. “Everything was put together in a nice package by Universal which made it really easy. Being able to

utilize their great theme parks was an added bonus,” Laura

said. Since Aidan and his siblings were still in school, Laura asked her

friend, Celia Juel, to accompany her

to Orlando. The two friends lent their time in the Castle of Miracles, and were even able to locate Aidan’s star from his trip!

“We had a phenomenal experience, everything was so positive and everyone was so gracious and kind. When I heard about this opportunity to come back, I knew I had

to do it because I wanted to be able to pay it forward and let another child have the experience that my son was able to have.” ~Laura Hatfield

Universal Helps Vacationers Give Back

“It’s so different being here and seeing other children’s faces. It brings back a flood of happy memories that we had while we were here,” recalled Laura.

Alumni wish parents Brian and Janie Lahmann purchased the package to surprise their four children with a return trip to Orlando to visit GKTW. They came in 2008 for Nolan’s wish trip, and had a wonderful experience. When the kids found out they were coming back to Orlando not only to volunteer, but also visit Universal Orlando® Resort, they could hardly contain their excitement! As they served breakfast in the Gingerbread House one morning, you could see that being at the Village was also a highlight of their trip.

“We’ve wanted to volunteer here, and the package put everything together from the hotel to transportation to the donation to GKTW. That made it easy to come as a family and have this great experience,” said Brian.

We are extremely thankful that Universal Orlando® Resort offers this wonderful opportunity to combine theme park fun with volunteering at GKTW. For more information, or to book a package, visit universalorlando.com and visit the Volunteer Vacations page listed under Vacation Packages.

2014 Disney Princess Half Marathon Weekend: Run GKTW Team, February 20 – 23Have you been holding onto your pink sneakers and tiaras for a special occasion? Here is your chance to sport your royal running gear as you join the Run GKTW team for the 2014 Disney Princess Half Marathon Weekend. Registration is now open at gktw.org/run.

26th Annual Black & White Gala, May 3, 2014Join us this spring for our signature event at Hyatt Regency Orlando featuring world-class dining, breathtaking entertainment and an exciting silent auction. To reserve your table or to learn about sponsorship opportunities, contact Sandi Thompson at 407-396-1114 ext. 4538 or SandiT@gktw.org.

2014 Walt Disney World ® Marathon: Run GKTW Team, January 8 – 12Attention all runners! How would you like to support Give Kids The World while taking part in the world famous Walt Disney World® Marathon? Be a part of the inaugural Run GKTW team for the 2014 Walt Disney World ® Marathon Weekend presented by Cigna! Registration is now open at gktw.org/run.

Save The Date

Lettter from Pam

Dear Friends,

The most magical sound in the world is that of a child’s laughter. And at Give Kids The World Village, the sound of laughing children that fills the air is especially cherished…as the children who visit us do so with the burden of life-threatening illnesses.

The challenges these extraordinary children cope with often take away much of the joy of their young lives. At Give Kids The World Village, these children, and their families who accompany them for a weeklong, cost-free memorable vacation, are given the priceless experience of recapturing that joy…of becoming lighthearted, happy children again.

All too often, families may arrive at the Village filled with despair, mentally and physically exhausted from the struggles that have altered their lives and those of their beloved children. While at the Village, they are able to leave this anguish behind, forget their heartache and share happy, precious time together. And here, where happiness inspires hope, our families tell us an amazing transformation takes place as they and their children find the strength and the courage to fight on. As one mom wrote us: During our stay at the Village, it was like a dark veil had lifted from our lives and we were shown the joy and happiness that we could STILL experience…while we STILL have time. We will never forget that.

For 26 years, Give Kids The World has been blessed with the caring support of individual donors, like you, who have helped us keep our promise to never turn away a child. For this, I am forever grateful to you.

Now, with your generous year-end donation to Give Kids The World you will help ensure that in the year ahead, many memorable moments of joy and non-stop fun at our whimsical Village will continue to fill the air with the magical sound of children laughing…

Please make your year-end gift today and give the priceless gifts of happiness and hope to these brave children who need it the most.

With my heartfelt thanks and best wishes to you and yours for a happy, joyous holiday season.

With love,

Pamela LandwirthPresident

Give Kids The World210 South Bass RoadKissimmee, FL 34746phone (800) 995-KIDSfax (407) 396-1207Dream@gktw.orggivekidstheworld.org

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