WDW49 Give Kids The World Village Fundraiser

Good afternoon Liners,

Several people have recently asked me to provide an update on the WDW49 Challenger’s fundraiser for GKTWV. I recently spent a week in the World and we were invited to visit The Village for a tour. Our tour guide (Steven Amos) did a great job of showing us around and providing some insight into the fabulous things that GKTW does for the families that they host.

I have very mixed emotions about it all since I am thrilled to help support such a worthy organization but the reason for their existence breaks my heart. GKTWV has just granted their 160,000 wish at an average cost of $6,800. They have some fabulous corporate partners but you wouldn’t be able to tell who they are because they don’t allow their sponsors to advertise by name. Most of these donations are Gifts In Kind and it ranges from food, park admission, candy, bed linens, and laundry services.

The Village consists of 167 villas and average rate of occupancy is 90% (that is one of the those facts that is hard to swallow). They provide meals in the dining area from 7AM-10PM and also will provide room service if needed. One of the biggest hits are the warm cookies that are delivered via golf cart every morning and unlimited Ice Cream offered from 7-10 as well.

The activities offered are abundant. There is a movie theater currently playing SOLO, playground, pool and splash area, Tea with Princesses, Character Meet and Greets, World’s Largest Candy Land Game, and so much more. The children are also able to put down their wish on a star and then that star is added to the wall or the “Star Tower” and once it is added they have a special camera that can access the star for the child to see. There are 600 stars added each week.

All in all, I enjoyed my time at the village and look forward to volunteering in the future. There are 1,700 volunteer shifts available daily and you can sign up online for shifts after passing their background check and going through orientation.

One of the biggest challenges GKTW faces is the perception that they are a local organization but that isn’t true, since they help families globally. Below are two links, one is for volunteering and the other is our group fundraising page. So far our campaign has raised $1,930 in donations. I truly appreciate all those who have volunteered and/or donated in the past and those considering helping this worthy cause.

http://support.gktw.org/site/TR?team_id=6586&fr_id=1761&pg=team

Group%20Photo

Pickel%20CartBannerSanctuary

PlaygroundIce%20CreamOutside%20MoviesSplash%20PadMovie%20TheaterStar%20TowerWishing%20WellWinston%20Churchill

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One thing I couldn’t tell from their website-do they send families into the Disney parks, UO parks, Seaworld, Legoland etc or do they stay onsite and enjoy the amenities you mentioned?

Families visiting The Village do receive park tickets to several theme parks along with front of the line access. Most of the onsite activities and amenities are used during the evening and on non park days.

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Thank you!

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