English 
40 Years of Giving Kids The World
A drone show. A movie premiere. A VIP pool party. The Mayor in attendance. And a new museum exhibit.
This has to be a major event in town with the likes of Disney or Universal, or something downtown, right? Not exactly. It was certainly a fantasy-filled occasion, but not because of the theme parks or the heart of the city. Sure, it was full of drama and celebration, but there was no Mouse or Minions involved.
Step forward, Give Kids the World Village in Kissimmee, and reintroduce yourself to the world. Because this was a unique event in the 40-year history of arguably Central Florida’s most laudable and heart-warming nonprofit, but also one aimed at the charity finding its way back into our consciousness at a time when it has survived the dark days of the pandemic and is now moving forward once again on the mission and ethos established by founder – and Holocaust survivor – Henri Landwirth in 1986.
Not familiar with GKTW? OK, here’s the nonprofit’s 101. Landwirth, a hugely successful Florida hotelier in the 1950s, 60s, and 70s, was moved to create this exceptional organization when a special needs child passed away before her special wish to visit Orlando could be fulfilled. With the help and financial support of Disney, SeaWorld and other local companies (including Universal in 1990), plus the backing of the original Mercury Seven astronauts – personal friends of Henri from the 1950s – he set out to ensure that no future Wish children would be “timed out” because the mechanisms weren’t in place to provide for them.
Publicity from another of Henri’s friends, a certain Walter Cronkite, helped to open the path – and corporate wallets – of a massive fund-raising effort, and the fantastical Give Kids The World Village opened its doors in 1989, complete with the kind of theming and design inherent in the House of Mouse.
From a mere 15 acres, the Village has grown to 89 and now boasts all the attributes of a fully-fledged theme park, including rides, water features, dining, and its own characters – like Mayor Clayton, a 6ft tall rabbit. Where there were originally 16 villas accommodating up to seven, there are now 166, along with a regular stream of families coming from MCO to 210 South Bass Road.
Fast forward to March 7, 2026, through the dark days of enforced Covid closure – an existential threat to the Village’s future just five years ago – and Give Kids The World has hosted more than 200,000 Wish families, from all 50 states and 78 countries around the world. It is a charitable phenom unlike anything anywhere else in the world, but it is still often overlooked in today’s world of billionaires, AI, and corporate agglomeration.
Disney and Co. remain staunch supporters, and there is an army of more than 2,000 willing volunteers who turn up to serve food, run the rides, and greet new arrivals at the airport every month. Henri’s essential message of faith, hope, and charity, though, is increasingly being drowned out in an urban landscape that progressively values profit over all else (hello, Winter Garden lease increases; we’re looking at you).
Which is why this month’s 40th anniversary represents something of a re-launch, a chance to reestablish the Village with not just Central Florida but a wider, national audience. Hence the movie premiere of What Henri Gave the World among the many and varied festivities in this corner of Kissimmee on the weekend of March 6-7.
At first glance, the movie is just a gentle eight-minute animated documentary that tells Henri’s story in easily-digestible terms, safe enough for a middle school audience. But, on further viewing, it is much more than that. Following its premiere at the media day, we spoke to director Fernando Tosetti and screenwriter Audrey Perrott, and it is clear this humble, almost home-spun project has some serious legs. In fact, we wouldn’t be surprised if it was to surface at the annual Florida Film Festival in the Short Documentary category. Its delicate sense of telling a complex story in relatively simple terms is a triumph of the film-making art and deserves a much bigger audience, hence it could well go beyond the Village’s humble confines to rub shoulders with potential Oscar nominees at the 2027 Festival. Yes, it’s that good.
What else did we discover at this latest Village open house? Well, it’s clear GKTW has fully stabilized after the debilitating effect of the pandemic, which put the whole operation in peril for a while. Not being able to perform your prime objective is tough for any business, let alone one that relies so heavily on the goodwill of a travel industry that also suffered immensely.
It has also been a period of reflection and revision for the nonprofit’s leaders, who are determined to try to insulate themselves against any future existential threats. At the same time, they felt it was also right to refocus on their founder’s essential message of “Where happiness inspires hope,” and rededicate their mission through his eyes.
The anniversary occasion ultimately became a forward-looking retrospective of Henri’s vision, adding to the movie premiere with a pair of VIP dinner occasions, culminating in a spectacular drone show over the Village’s extensive pool deck, overseen by Mayor Clayton and other characters from the GKTW stable.
The occasion was underlined with a traveling museum exhibit courtesy of Maitland’s Holocaust Memorial Resource and Education Center of Florida. Entitled Hope & Humanity, it depicts Henri’s experiences of the darkest days of World War II and how his survival was nothing less than miraculous. The fact he went on to a remarkable second life in America following the War, via military service, a college degree in hospitality, and a stellar career in hotel management that included the likes of the Mercury astronauts and the venerable Cronkite, is all part of the exhibit, as well as an essential component of the fabric of the Village. It makes you want to stand up and cheer, so we did.
OK, we have to reveal our own secret now in all of this praise and hyperbole. We are regularly among those 2,000-plus volunteers, frequently working behind the counters of Café Clayton and Henri’s Starlite Scoops, as well as acting as airport greeters and front desk aides, and we are well steeped in the GKTW lore. It is an addictive and life-affirming experience. And, as the Village heads into its 41st year, we’re ready to expand this Gospel of Henri even further and encourage more volunteers to join up.
Are you ready to help us spread the word?
Simon & Susan
Mike Synan
News | Sports | Politics
- After two decades in news and politics, Mike Synan is returning to his roots to write Sports as “The Sportsaholic”. Mike hosted a talk show for 6 years on WDBO after Magic home games called “Magic Til Midnight”, and spent years working as an in-game correspondent for both ESPN and Fox Sports Radio. His column “Synan Says” has appeared on both www.wdbo.com and www.floridadaily.com. He has a BS in Political Science from Clemson University. You can reach him at msynan@sportsmail.com
