Bob Harbicht introduced our guest speaker, Jim McKellar, as a person who helps to make wishes come true for terminally ill children.  When these children make wish requests through organizations such as Make-a-Wish Foundation, about 80% of them want to go to Disneyland.  Jim, an Arcadia resident, spoke with us about a program called “Ice Cream for Breakfast” and how we could help make these wishes become a reality through an amazing organization called Give Kids The World.

Give Kids the World is the creation of Henri Landwirth.  Henri knew what it was like to have a childhood stolen.  He was born in Belgium.  During the Nazi occupation in WWII his family was separated and sent to the death and labor camps.  Henri spent most of his teenage years in camps, including Auschwitz and Mauthausen in Poland.  Toward the end of the war, Henri was sent from camp to camp as the Nazis retreated.  Finally, Henri and 5 other children were taken out to be shot.  The officer charged with carrying out this order realized that the war was lost and he spared them, telling them to run.

After the war, Henry made his way to America and eventually got a job in the hotel business.  He started at the bottom and worked hard to learn everything about it.  In the mid 1950s he got a job managing a hotel in Cocoa Beach, near Cape Canaveral.  This was in the early days of the space program and he became friends with many of the astronauts and newscasters who stayed at his hotel.  Eventually he moved to Orlando where he continued in the hotel business.  One day he received a call from an organization that was trying to grant a dying girl her final wish – to go to Disneyland.  Most hotels were sold out but he and other hotel owners worked to find room for her.  By the time all of the arrangements including travel could be finalized, the little girl had passed away.  Henri decided there had to be a way to prevent this from happening.

Henri enlisted the help of colleagues in the hospitality business, including the major theme parks, as well as other businesses and individuals.  His goal was to make sure that a terminally ill child’s wish could be granted, with-in 24 hours if need be.  In 1986 he started a project he called “Give Kids The World” and Give Kids The World Village opened in 1989.

Give Kids The World is a non-profit organization that exists only to fulfill the wishes of all children with life-threatening illnesses and their families from around the world to experience a memorable, joyful, cost-free visit to the Central Florida attractions, and to enjoy the magic of Give Kids The World Village for as long as there is a need.   (source:  www.gktw.org)

Since its opening 116,000 children and their families have had their dreams come true at Give Kids The World Village.  They have come from all 50 states and 70 different countries.  No child in need has ever been turned away – and no child ever will.  To continue to do this, they need to build 60 more “Villas” (duplexes).  The village is located on 70 acres in Kissimmee, Florida, near the major theme parks and attractions.  The amenities there include the villas, dining facilities, ice cream parlor and a chapel, with activities like pony rides, swimming, fishing, put-put golf, and meeting the Disney characters.  Disney helped with the design of the Village.  Expenses are underwritten by Friendly’s Ice Cream, Boston Market, Perkins and a host of other corporate and individual sponsors.  American Airlines provides transportation worldwide.  The children and their families are there for a week and, of course, the trip includes tickets to Disney World, Universal Studios and Sea World. The entire trip is free to the kids and their families.

Jim showed us videos of the children visiting the Village.  It was truly remarkable to see the joy experienced by the kids and their parents.  It was equally sobering to realize that 94% of the children in the video are now deceased.

Jim is working with Bob Harbicht and the City of Arcadia to arrange an “Ice Cream for Breakfast” event here in Arcadia as a fundraiser to help this wonderful charity.