We just finished our third day of service, and most of us are now passed out on the beds or the floor. Yesterday, we spent most of the day at Give Kids the World. We got up bright and early (6:30 a.m.), ate a quick breakfast and went to GKTW at 7:30 a.m. We all had different shifts that day. Some of us were at the diner, some of us were operating rides and others were at the magical castle. We volunteered until around 3 p.m., and then we took a short break while we waited for our tour of the village to start.
Every kid that goes to GKTW gets a star to decorate and put on the ceiling of the castle. There are over 140,000 starts in the castle (you get the chills just seeing them all) and that number grows ever day.
At 4:30, our tour guides took us on an amazing tour of the 79-acre village. We saw some of the attractions we hadn't yet seen, like the pool and the life-size Candy Land game, and then we saw the adorable 144 villas that families live in on their visits. We were all awe-struck by the village. It's amazing the amount of detail that goes in to each and every aspect. The guides said that kids get the master bedroom, and they are assigned to the villa that fits their favorite colors.
We got home around 6 p.m. that night, and while some of us went for a quick run around the neighborhood, others (our favs for the night) cooked up some delicious tacos. As we all chowed down, we reflected on our day. Everyone had amazing things to say and an incredible story to tell about their experiences they'd had. It's really pretty amazing how something so small as a carousel ride can make such a big impact on both the lives of the families and the lives of our participants.
After reflection, we quickly got cleaned up and headed down to Disney Springs. We walked around the huge space, looking at restaurants and stores and danced to the live music. Some of us had never had any Disney experiences, so it was really cool to see it all. The glittering trees really were kind of magical.
After our fun night downtown, we headed back home and went to bed.
The next morning, we woke up (a little later than yesterday) and headed out to our second service site, New Hope for Kids. New Hope is in Maitland and is a grieving center for kids experiencing the loss of a loved one. It also has a wish program for kids with terminal illnesses.
New Hope was so great to us. We spent the day raking leaves out of their garden and laying out new pine needles. It sounds like a simple task, but 3 hours later and we hadn't even finished the full section. (The staff said we made such great progress, though, so I guess it wasn't too bad!) We also met some students from the University of Central Florida, and they offered to show us around the campus later this week, which is awesome. Around 2 p.m., we packed back into the car and made the hour drive back to our housing site for a quick break before our next shift at Give Kids the World.
After eating some snacks and taking short naps, we loaded back up into the car and went to Give Kids the World. Again, we were all split up at different shifts. A few of us worked at the spa and many of us worked at the castle. Some of us also operated the carousel after the rain stopped. at 9 p.m., we were all finished, so we loaded up into our cars and headed home. Snacks quickly followed.
We'll be at GKTW tomorrow for Village Idol (so excited!) and we'll be at New Hope for Kids in the morning for some more raking.
Stay tuned for more, from the K-babes.
After reflection, we quickly got cleaned up and headed down to Disney Springs. We walked around the huge space, looking at restaurants and stores and danced to the live music. Some of us had never had any Disney experiences, so it was really cool to see it all. The glittering trees really were kind of magical.
After our fun night downtown, we headed back home and went to bed.
The next morning, we woke up (a little later than yesterday) and headed out to our second service site, New Hope for Kids. New Hope is in Maitland and is a grieving center for kids experiencing the loss of a loved one. It also has a wish program for kids with terminal illnesses.
After eating some snacks and taking short naps, we loaded back up into the car and went to Give Kids the World. Again, we were all split up at different shifts. A few of us worked at the spa and many of us worked at the castle. Some of us also operated the carousel after the rain stopped. at 9 p.m., we were all finished, so we loaded up into our cars and headed home. Snacks quickly followed.
Stay tuned for more, from the K-babes.
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