I finally got around to sending my thank you letter to GKTW.
It read:
Give Kids The World
In May we were blessed with the opportunity to visit Give Kids The World. Our visit was part of our youngest daughter’s wish to visit Cinderella. Her name is Allie Erickson.
Allie was diagnosed with Type-1 diabetes on December 9th, 2002, a little more than a month after her 2nd birthday. That began her life on insulin. Her regimen was multiple daily injections until February of 2004 when she began wearing an insulin pump. While the insulin pump has made diabetes easier to manage, it is still not a cure.
Since we can remember, Allie has loved Cinderella. That is her favorite movie, she reads Cinderella books, and she has countless Cinderella items in her room. It only makes sense that she would want to meet her.
Living in the Kansas City area, we aren’t close to any of the Disney parks, and a vacation to either is quite out of our budget. Meeting Cinderella seemed to be…just a dream. Then one day we received a letter from The Dream Factory in Kansas City. It turns out our oldest daughter, Torrie, had submitted Allie’s name to have her dream fulfilled, and nobody knew about it.
When we were visited by Jon Chesnutt from The Dream Factory, we were speechless. Not only would Allie get to meet Cinderella, but the entire family would get to stay at GKTW. We’d never heard of GKTW, so we immediately began researching it on the internet. It truly sounded like a wonderful place.
When our trip arrived, it could not have been any better. We were greeted at the airport by a GKTW representative. She was so friendly and helpful. It was obvious that she truly loved what she was doing. Her great attitude was just the tip of the iceberg, a preview of what was to come. After following the directions from the airport, we arrived at the GKTW village. At the security gate we were greeted by the friendliest young lady I believe I’ve ever met. Then we checked in, and we were overwhelmed. There were gifts not just for Allie, but for the entire family.
We arrived late for lunch, but were shown to the ice cream palace, a place we would come to know VERY well! It was such a shock to be treated to such great service and shown such wonderful attention. It was that great service that was everywhere. It was quite obvious that frowns were NOT allowed at the village.
We were touched when at mealtimes there were volunteers of every age and background. There were retirees, teenagers, businessmen, and just-off-duty firemen. They were all there making sure that families at GKTW were treated with love and care. It was heartwarming to see all the children, with a wide variety of ailments, being the center of attention everywhere at the village.
Our entire family loved our visit to GKTW. The only thing we didn’t like…was leaving. It was such a great place, built out of love, centered on the children that needed it most. It was such a joy to see the kids there with smiles that never ended. It was amazing to see the other parents reviling on their kids’ joy.
I wanted to say thank you to everyone at GKTW. Thank you for your time. Thank you for your love. Thank you for caring about kids SO MUCH that you make such a huge difference in their lives. Thank you for making our visit so special for Allie. Thank you for making each visit for each child special, and for making them feel the love that you have for them.
We look back at the pictures we took on our trip and the ones that evoke the fondest memories are the ones at the GKTW village. Visiting Santa, seeing the Disney characters, hugging Mayor Clayton, Christmas at the village, the horse rides, playing in the pool, the endless visits to the ice cream palace, and the smiles. Oh, the smiles! It simply was not possible to see anyone without a smile there.
Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for creating Give Kids The World. Thank you for allowing us to visit and for making us feel so loved. Thank you for all that you do for all of those you do it for. Thank you for making sure that no child’s last wish goes unfulfilled.
We will always cherish our memories of Give Kids The World.
With a full heart,
Morgan Erickson & family