Up to 500 volunteers and wish families will gather at Give Kids The World Village on Saturday, April 20th, to commemorate a remarkable volunteer 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,” said 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.
