Official Charity: Give Kids The World

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

Give Kids The World Village is an 89-acre, nonprofit “storybook” resort in Central Florida. Here, children with critical illnesses and their families are treated to weeklong, cost-free vacations. During one incredible week, wish families laugh, play, and create priceless memories together away from hospital visits and medical procedures.

Since 1986, Give Kids The World has welcomed more than 201,000 families from all 50 states and 77 countries. The Village is made possible by the support of generous donors and community partners, as well as thousands of passionate volunteers – who donate their time and talent making wishes come true.

For more information, visit www.gktw.org.

Stories of Hope and Healing

Lisa’s Story

Lisa was one of the first children from her small town outside London to receive a wish at Give Kids The World Village after her community rallied to make it possible. She visited the newly opened Village filled with six-year-old anticipation. After an incredible week and two weeks after returning home, Lisa passed away. For decades, her family told their children and grandchildren, “Our Lisa is in the stars.” Thirty-five years later and after many new Village traditions are established, they returned to the Village to truly place her star inside the Castle of Miracles, where every wish child is honored with a permanent gold star on the ceiling – ensuring Lisa shines as part of the Village’s story forever, and that she truly is, in the stars.

Ophie’s Story

Ophelia – Ophie – was diagnosed at 18 months old with an ependymoma brain-stem tumor after her mother noticed balance issues within her daughter. Her family’s life quickly became defined by hospital stays, surgeries, and ongoing therapies, without a single week free from medical appointments – a schedule that left her sister, Georgia, disconnected from her sibling. When they arrived at the Village March 2025, that changed. For one week, Ophie and her sister Georgia were simply sisters – laughing, playing, and meeting beloved characters (Ophie loves characters), while their family experienced something they had not felt in years: uninterrupted time together just being a family.