Last night my long time dream to attend the Give Kids The World Black and White Gala came true. I’m so incredibly honored I was invited to share all the details with you. This special event with world class entertainment and dining in Orlando, Florida is one of the biggest annual fundraisers for Give Kids The World Village.
Give Kids The World Village is an 84-acre, nonprofit resort in Central Florida that provides weeklong, cost-free vacations to children with critical illnesses and their families. The Village and its community partners provide children and their families accommodations in fully-furnished villas, transportation, tickets to theme parks, meals, daily entertainment and much more.
Most importantly, Give Kids The World is the place ‘where happiness inspires hope.’ The mission is to give critically ill children and their families an unforgettable week but also to provide the rest and inspiration needed to continue to overcome these challenges and reach best possible outcome.
Give Kids The World Black and White Gala 2019 Overview
The event started with a cocktail hour and time for exploring and bidding on silent auction items. There’s also an online component so people can bid on the event website. Next we moved into the dinner portion of the evening. We enjoyed two courses of incredible food and were delightfully accommodated when we shared we eat a plant based diet. Throughout our meal we saw inspiring live dancing and singing performances. The ballroom came alive with colorful, shimmering lighting and dazzling set pieces. We heard a moving speech from Give Kids The World Village President Pamela Landwirth. (I’m so inspired by her.) Two children spoke about their Give Kids The World experience and delighted the audience. The venue was filled with beautiful stories, confetti falling and lots of stars, the night’s theme. Then the vibe changes as drapery dropped to reveal a dance floor and a live band rocked the room with dance hits. Colorful chandeliers and pretty desserts surrounded this lively portion of the night. We danced, we sang, we met amazing people with big hearts. Everything was so magical.
We loved hanging out with these incredible children who spoke at the event
One of the highlights of my night was meeting Alyssa. She is a former wish child and current college student and advocate for Give Kids The World. I came to know about her when I was volunteering at the Village in the Gallery of Hope in 2011 and saw her telling her story on a video presentation there. Her visit to the Village was transformative. From a speech Alyssa made in 2007:
My name is Alyssa. I am a cancer survivor and a former Wish Child for Give Kids The World. I had kidney cancer and I got so sick – mommy and the doctors got very scared. Then I got to go to Give Kids The World where I could be happy again. I believe that being at Give Kids The World made me better. I told all my doctors and nurses to send all the sick kids there.
Alyssa and Nicole at the 2019 Give Kids The World Black and White Gala
See more from the night in this video.
The Give Kids The World Black and White Gala is the ultimate fancy night out in Orlando benefitting an incredible cause. For more information, or to make a donation to and make dreams come true, visit GKTW.org. Learn more about the positive effects these experiences have on kids and families in my article about Disney wish granting.
Beautiful and inspiring! Thanks for sharing about this great organization! I had never heard about them until you talked about them!
Such a magical night and like you said “dream come true”!!! So thankful you were able to experience this event and share the heart of Give Kids the World… where happiness inspires hope!! I would be honored to serve the families at the village during my next vacation to Orlando. God bless them all!