Alternative Break Reflections

I thought about how I was going to organize this blog post, because there are truly so many feelings and emotions I’ve felt over the past few days. As I start to type this, I’m actually still in one of our B-W mini vans on the drive home. Sitting in the van with my lap top open is probably a strange sight to behold, but this group has really seen so much about one another over the past week that it really doesn’t matter what we do at this point.  We have laughed and shared our feelings and emotions on a consistent basis, partaking in an amazing journey together called “Alternative Spring Break.”

This is my third alternative break trip during my time at B-W, and each one has brought new joys and challenges.  This one however, brought several emotions to the forefront of my mind as we worked together to serve families at “Give Kids The World Village” in Kissimmee, Florida.

Some of my blog readers know me very well, while others are still in the process of getting to know me.  So let me start by first letting you all know that I am a crier. Seriously, I cry a lot.  Not like random outbursts in weird situations, but whenever I am utterly moved by something I will allow that emotion to take place and I’ll tear up. So I guess I should rephrase that in a sense because it’s not necessarily a sobbing cry.  But I’m digressing…back to the point. So here I am, a person who allows her emotions to be felt and seen, and I’m journeying through this experience with nine incredible students.  We had done our best to prepare ourselves for what we were about to experience but I don’t think that any of us were truly ready for how much we would receive through giving of ourselves.

If you don’t know much about the Village, I suggest you check it out.  A little back ground: Henri Landwirth, the founder of GKTW, was in the Nazi concentration camps with his sister. He was able to escape and came to the United States. He was drafted into the army where he got a college education in hotel management.  He was running a Holiday Inn and had met a young girl. She contacted him some time later saying that she was sick and really wanted to come to central Florida and Disney and asked if he could help.  He immediately set out to make this dream come true for this young girl, however she passed away about a week before she was set to arrive at his hotel.  He vowed never to let that happen again and worked with his staff to make sure wishes were granted for the children. When his hotel was being filled with more sick children and their families than paying guests, he decided they needed another place for these families and thus “Give Kids The World” Village was created.  The actual site opened in 1989 and they have served over 100,000 families since.

Me, Julie, Henri Landwirth (the Founder), & Emma

On our first day at GKTW, we were actually lucky to find out that Henri would be in the Village that day and we might have the opportunity to meet him. He’s 84 years old now and doesn’t travel to the Village that often (maybe twice a year) so we were going to be very fortunate that our experience overlapped with his visit. This place that he created is phenomenal.  It gives families of children with life threatening illnesses the opportunity to get a week long vacation all expenses paid.  They stay in the village where there are so many incredible things to do and see, and all their meals are paid for.  Want ice cream for breakfast? You got it.  They also get tickets to pretty much anything they could ever imagine, including Disney World, Universal Studios, and Sea World.  Plus they wear a special button that staff members from all theme parks are trained to look for which gets them a spot right at the front of the line for any ride they choose to go on. What could be better? It’s a place they can go to where they are able to forget the fact that they are dealing with a sick child and that child can just enjoy life. You never ask the questions about why the child is there. It’s only about having fun at GKTW.

Well, watching these kids day after day, as well as their families, this is one thing that just makes their lives so much easier. Beyond meeting the staff at GKTW – who are seriously some of the NICEST people on the planet – we got time to interact with the many families staying in the Village while we were there.  Approximately 130 families were staying in the village while we were on our trip. As we went through the week, you got to know some of the families on a deeper level.  One of the best ways I got to do that was by working in the Gingerbread House.

The Gingerbread House = Best. Place. Ever.

So, I worked as a server in a restaurant for nearly 6 years. I would never dream of going back because it was stressful and annoying and it was difficult to have fun.  Yet, the Gingerbread House – which is their main eating location – has a rule: Fun is always first. I spent 3 of my 5 nights at the Village working in the “GBH”, and I would do it every night of my life if I were able to do so. I bussed tables, carried food, and more and it was one of the most incredible experiences of my life. It was in these moments that I had some of my most memorable moments and truly understood the power of GKTW.  I met one little boy named Zachary who cracked me up. His favorite superhero is Spiderman. He was a ball of energy. And every time he’d skip on over to me with his empty glass and ask for “water, no ice.” I’d of course fill up the glass and then ask him each time “Am I carrying this back or are you?” And he would smile and tell me “You!” And skip back to his table. Aiden & pretty much his entire family from Chicago – this family was fantastic. I actually interacted with his dad first when he asked if he could get some food to go because he didn’t really get a chance to eat while trying to manage the meal with his 4 kids. I made it happen with help from Dave the chef and this dad was so happy. This spurred a conversation about who I was and why I was there.  His wife said “She’s an angel in training” (Volunteers are called “angels”) and he looked at me and said ‘Nah, she’s an angel no longer in training” – Made. My. Night.  So I saw this family on the other nights as well, chatting it up. They had 4 great kids, one in particular who cracked me up was Aiden.  I have no idea who was the “wish” child in this family, and you never ask those questions. But Aiden wanted to throw the football around and show me how he got a touchdown. Not sure where else you can be working in a restaurant and pause to go outside to throw around a football with a 4 year old kid. He would run past me and jump up on the base of a pillar outside the GBH and show me his touchdown celebration.  I watched a little girl who couldn’t be more than 3 years old, unable to speak due to a tube in her throat. Yet she signed her little heart out as she communicated with her mom. Inspired me to start taking sign language lessons pronto. I got to use what little French I still remember from high school and speak to another little girl who didn’t speak English. Every shift I worked in that place brought about smiles and laughter from so many people. Even when I worked as a greeter at the door and simply opened and closed the doors for families coming in. One night my student, Drew, and I staffed that station and we high-fived the kids and smiled our biggest smiles (which wasn’t difficult to do). One family left the GBH that night and we overheard them say “You don’t even get that kind of service at a 5-star restaurant.” – Those are the moments you know you are helping create something great.

Throughout the week we had multiple different projects. Besides working in the GBH, we painted rocking chairs and one of the villas. We stuffed handmade pillows for the children (each child gets one). We took pictures of the families with Barney. Each moment resulted in a smile from a child and their family. I even saw one girl smile for the first time all week when she met Barney and it was one of the best moments of the trip for me.

Another favorite moment was watching children make their star. Each child gets to put a star in the Castle of Miracles.  And there are stars in EVERY nook and cranny of the castle. So much so that they are in the process of building a star tower to hold more stars. The child comes and puts their name on the star, then puts it in a box, and they have this whole show (thank you technology) to show the fairy fly into the box and grab their star and shoot back up to the ceiling. The child will get a note the next day letting them know where their star is located.

Just some of the many star in the Castle of Miracles

Speaking of things the children get – they get a present each day. They are delivered to their villas (believe me I totally want to go back and help do THAT job). All children get a special copy of Candyland made for GKTW. And I totally bought it and would be happy to bring it anywhere to show people. It’s incredible. They can come to the Castle and also get a handmade pillow. We plan on making pillow cases and sending them to the Village for future use. They go through nearly 500 pillows a week because not only does the wish child get a pillow but so do any other kids in their family who are with them.  And each Thursday is Christmas. They have a parade, snow, and Santa gives out presents. One particular story the Chef told us was that Santa had a kid on his lap, and the child asked why hadn’t he been to his house at Christmas. Apparently the family just didn’t have money for presents. And Santa (another amazing volunteer who comes EVERY WEEK) says, without skipping a beat “Well I knew you’d be here, so why would I waste time making an extra trip?” This is the magic of Give Kids The World.

I’ve already made this one of the longest blog posts EVER, but I guess in a few closing thoughts all I can do is continue to say what an incredible experience this whole trip was. The emotional connections I felt to the kids, their families, and even some of the staff members was unbelievable. This place is completely dependent on volunteers, more than you might think.  The group of students I traveled with was incredible. They were so positive and focused on the task at hand, even if they noticed other people around them that were not so focused. They continuously laughed, smiled, and worked as a team from the beginning of the day until the end. They connected to these children and found themselves (as did I) humbled and enlightened and finding a new appreciation for the little things in life. All of us, if given the opportunity would go back in a heartbeat and we’ve already started coming up with plans for fundraising and supporting GKTW from home.  We’ll be hosting an “Ice Cream for Breakfast” Social, making pillow cases, and going to Perkins – because they donate over 2.5 million dollars worth of food every year.  Reflecting back, I definitely came to know 9 outstanding students. They made me laugh every day and inspired me as a Student Affairs professional, reminding me why I not only chose this as my career, but also why I continue to get involved in service like this. I sat here tonight reading through “warm fuzzies” – letters from my students – that I had read once already but loved reading again. Knowing that I also made a difference for them means so much.

If you want to check out other photos from our trip you can do so HERE.

Thanks for reading my reflections, and if you are ever able to coordinate a service trip I suggest you look into Give Kids The World. They ALWAYS need the help and it will change your life forever. I know because it totally changed mine.

My amazing crew with some Christmas decorations 🙂