Bob Welbaum: A Special Holiday Wish
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This time of year is always a happy occasion for children. Yet the sad fact is that not all children are happy� and healthy. Serious illness can strike anyone; it is especially heartbreaking when it strikes the very young.

Fortunately there is Give Kids The World (GKTW), a non-profit organization located near Orlando, Florida, that creates magical memories for children with life-threatening illnesses. The organization operates the GKTW Village, a 70-acre resort that provides accommodations for the children and their families, donated attraction tickets, meals and more for a week-long cost-free fantasy vacation.

The Village itself is quite impressive, coming as close as humanly possible to whimsically turning childhood fantasies into bricks and mortar. Included are 102 villas, the Gingerbread House Restaurant (filled with antique dolls and toys), interactive play areas, a Castle of Miracles play area, a wheelchair-accessible swimming pool, a seven-hole miniature golf course, a fully stocked lake for fishing, and a chapel.

The founder and guiding light behind GKTW is Henri Landwirth. Landwirth is an interesting story himself. He miraculously escaped from a Nazi death camp at the end of World War II and came to the United States with $20 in his pocket. After settling in New York, he was then drafted into the US Army.

When Landwirth was discharged, he used the GI Bill to take a course in hotel management. He worked in a New York hotel before moving to Cocoa Beach, Florida, in 1954. He soon managed the Starlite Motel near Cape Canaveral, which became home to the original Mercury astronauts. Landwirth even developed a friendship with legendary newsman Walter Cronkite.

Given his background, it no surprise that Landwirth devoted himself to helping those in need. He joined the Mercury astronauts in establishing a foundation that provides scholarship to young science students. He hired and trained mentally handicapped children and built a clinic to help children with cerebral palsy.

Among many honors, Parents magazine named him Humanitarian of the Year in 1994. He was invited to the White House in 1990, and was twice selected to carry the Olympic torch. Landwirth's life is chronicled in his book Gift of Life, which was published in 1996.

The idea behind GKTW began when Landwirth offered accommodations at his hotel to a family whose young daughter was suffering from leukemia. He was saddened to learn that before they were able to finalize the arrangements for her special trip, she lost her battle and was not able to get her wish. So Landwirth called upon colleagues in the hospitality industry, including theme parks, to help him with a project to bring families to Central Florida, with less than 24 hours notice if necessary. Before long, he and two staff members began arranging Wish vacations out of a converted storeroom in one of his hotels. He named the fledgling organization "Give Kids The World," because that is what he intended to do. In 1986, Give Kids The World was officially founded.

Soon major corporations committed to providing many of the services that families would require in their stay, but the number of requests quickly outgrew the lodging that the hotel industry could provide. In addition, the hotels at the time were not equipped to deal with the needs of families with children with life-threatening illnesses. Give Kids The World Village was the solution, opening its gates to welcome its first family in early 1989.

Any child (between the ages of 3 and 18) with a life-threatening illness whose one wish is to visit Walt Disney World (or any of the other attractions in Orlando) may have his or her dream vacation come true by first being identified by a doctor.

The child is then teamed with one of more than 250 partnering wish-granting organizations from around the world, which in turn refer the eligible child and his or her family to GKTW Village. The local wish-granting organization takes care of the family�s airfare, car rental, spending money and any other special needs the child may require, such as interpreters or special medical equipment. Children also receive gifts and surprises every day of their stay. With the help of many generous individuals, corporations and partnering wish-granting organizations, Give Kids The World has welcomed more than 75,000 families from all 50 states and over 50 countries.

It should come as no surprise that GKTW has become a favorite charity for the NFFC, the club for Disneyana Enthusiasts. For example, members of the World Chapter of the NFFC have donated countless hours of their time helping GKTW accommodate its special guests. NFFC members are proud to be among the more than 3500 volunteers who have supported GKTW by donating approximately 105,000 volunteer hours to the Village every year.

One such volunteer is Alex Maher, an NFFC World Chapter member and artist with the Disney Design Group. For several years, Alex (along with other Disney Cast Members) has paid monthly visits to the Village to draw for the children. Alex finds the experience most rewarding, noting that �to see their smiles makes it all worthwhile.�

So it is our holiday wish that you take some time to educate yourselves about GKTW. Complete information can be found at the website, www.gktw.org. Read the entire story and take up to three virtual tours. One way to support the organization and its mission is by patronizing its on-line Gift Shop. And for more information about the NFFC, visit www.nffc.org.

Even in the face of death, these children find great solace and enjoyment in spending what may be their final days with Mickey and his friends at the �Happiest Place On Earth.�