Give Kids the World

Our wonderful vacation was made possible by the organization Make-A-Wish which helps give children with life-threatening illnesses the chance to make their wish come true. While many children (such as Jacob) choose to go to Disney World...the sky is the limit. A child may wish for something as simple as a puppy or as big as a fishing boat. Make-A-Wish works with generous donors and companies to make each wish come true.

It is a once in a lifetime opportunity and they make everything as smooth as possible. All expenses are paid, airline tickets are booked, car rental is pre-paid, and our trip is planned for us. The vacation planning was literally stress-free, which was something that we really needed.

Most children going through Make-A-Wish and choosing to go to Disney World stay at the Give Kids the World village for their week long stay. This village is amazing and is staffed with wonderful workers but mainly relies on volunteers for keeping the place running smoothly. This village could have kept us busy for the whole week we were there, and it was wonderfully relaxing and amazingly magical.

It is a gated village and as you pull past the gates you are greeted at the House of Hearts, which is where we checked in.
Each villa is whimsical and private. They have a kitchen, living room, two bathrooms (the kid's bathroom had a whirlpool tub, even!), and a two bedrooms. They were clean and we immediately felt at home there.

The Gingerbread House serves breakfast and supper. Lunch is also provided at another location and I can't help but say that one of my favorite aspects of the trip was not having to meal plan, grocery shop, or cook. I finally had a break! They make it fun for the kids by having child sized tables, a locomotive cart serving kids food, and a huge variety of food. Jacob loved the waffles for breakfast and several kids piled theirs high with strawberries and whipped topping. Everything at the village is free, which is an added blessing for families struggling to pay off medical bills; it makes it a truly stress free vacation.

The ice cream parlor was fantastic! Ice cream was served from 7:30am until 10pm. The kids enjoyed ice cream cones, sundaes, and milkshakes all week. I enjoyed a couple banana splits myself.

There was a giant Candyland park, horseback riding, model trains and a real train to ride, remote controlled boats to drive, putt-putt golf, a castle to explore, spa for the kids, and so much more! More pictures to come (the ones above are courtesy of Give the Kids the World). All I can say is that it is amazing and they literally did give the kids the world for a week. I will never stop singing their praises and will thank Make-A-Wish and Give the Kids the World for giving my boy his wish and giving him something magical.

As we draw closer to the holidays, a time when many donate to charities, I hope that you will consider making a donation to your local chapter of Make-A-Wish or to Give Kids the World Village in order to help make another child's wish come true. I know that they will be on our future donation list.