The Margaritaville Run Proudly Supports Give Kids The World

Give Kids The World believes that the most enchanting sound in the world is that of a child’s laughter. That is exactly what fills the air at Give Kids The World Village, an 89-acre, whimsical nonprofit resort in Central Florida that provides critically ill children and their families with magical, weeklong wish vacations at no cost.

About Give Kids The World

Each year, more than 27,000 children in the U.S. are diagnosed with a critical illness, and half of those who are eligible for a wish choose to visit Orlando. Give Kids The World is the nonprofit that fulfills these wishes—providing transportation; private villa accommodations; all meals and snacks; daily entertainment; donated theme park tickets; daily gifts; and interactive experiences at the Village, which features accessible rides and attractions.

Since 1986, more than 174,000 wish children and their families from all 50 states and 76 countries have visited the Village. They come to laugh, play, and create priceless memories away from hospitals and medical treatments. This life-changing experience is Give Kids The World’s gift, made possible through the generosity of partners like Margaritaville Run, dedicated corporations, and countless individuals.

For more information, visit www.gktw.org.

Stories of Hope and Healing

Alyssa’s Story

Diagnosed with a stage 3 Wilms’ tumor at the age of 3, Alyssa endured intensive chemotherapy and radiation. Eventually placed in hospice and given just months to live, she received a wish to become a princess—and that wish brought her and her family to Give Kids The World Village.

“I was too weak to walk, eat, or speak at first,” Alyssa recalls. “But as the week progressed, something magical happened: I regained my strength, my appetite, and my sense of childlike wonder.”

Her family danced at nightly parties, rode the carousel, splashed in the pool—and most importantly—rediscovered hope. When they returned home, Alyssa’s doctors discovered her tumor had begun to shrink. After one last round of chemo, she was declared cancer-free.

“My doctors said it was a miracle,” Alyssa says. “But I knew it was the magical medicine of Give Kids The World.”

Today, Alyssa is 26 and thriving—living proof that miracles really do happen when hope takes center stage.

Zach’s Story

By age seven, Zach had endured 40 surgeries. With his health in decline, his parents prepared to transition him to hospice care. That was when they learned about Give Kids The World Village and arranged a “rush wish” for Zach to meet Woody from Toy Story.

“It’s hard to put into words,” says Zach’s mom, Susan. “But once you experience Give Kids The World, everything else pales in comparison to the love, beauty, and magic that is there.”

Although Zach passed away soon after his wish, his family treasures the memories of his joy, laughter, and wonder in those final days at The Place Where Happiness Inspires Hope.