THANK YOU MY AMAZING FRIENDS!

As many of you know, I have spent the last two months raising money for a charity that provides critically ill children and their families a week long vacation away from disease, doctors and the stress associated with both. The organization is called, “Give Kids The World” and is located near Orlando, Florida.

They have built an 84 acre VILLAGE that helps children rediscover the joys of childhood even under the worst of circumstances. These children and their families are also provided FREE access to all amenities inside AND outside the village including Disney World, Sea World, Universal Studios, etc…

1 of the 168 villas families use during their week long vacation. Each RABBIT mailbox has a family name identifying their “home”.

Each building is designed to reflect what it offers. Henri Landwirth (founder of Give Kids The World) did not want signs on these buildings. He wanted children to enjoy their colors and designs in amazement without any need of signs to identify their content.

Needless to say, this is where bottomless ice cream concoctions are designed and CONSUMED causing “brain freeze” and lots of laughs.

The actual Disney characters come to the village multiple times a week for those children unable to venture out to Disney itself.

In the “Castle of Miracles” anything becomes possible. Inside, you will find a grandfather clock that snores and a wishing well that burps.

Here in the jungle safari theater, children get to watch many of the Disney movies including first run movies.

The fundraiser I participated in was called, “Going Over The Edge.” It was given this name because it involved rappelling “over the edge” of the 32 story Hyatt Regency Hotel. The following is a picture of the hotel with an arrow showing where the rappelling began:

This post is my way of extending my appreciation to all of you that supported this event with your gracious donations. Give Kids The World asked all of the participants to raise $1000.00 to help them meet their goal. I chose to increase my fund raising goal to $2,500.00 after reading all the stories about this charity and the children they have helped from all over the world! I am so proud to inform you your generosity helped me raise $7,562.00. I can’t begin to thank you enough for joining me on this mission and proving just how much we truly care about helping those in need.

The following link is my 9 minute rappel which took place on February 9th, 2018. It started approximately 30 stories up in the air. If any of you choose to stay at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Orlando Florida, may I suggest you consider using their perfectly functioning elevators instead!

I wanted to share the experience with you (from my helmet’s gopro camera.) You will see my reflection in the window during my descent. Since I am NOT a fan of heights, I hope this proves my commitment to all of YOU that contributed as well as all the wonderful children and their families who will benefit from YOUR KINDNESS and COMPASSION!

Tags: charity, children, gratitude, happiness, health, humor, parents, purpose