This weekend, Busch Gardens will be opening for the 2019 season. While it’s been a long two months since the park closed in January, I know everyone is eager to get back to their favorite coasters.
On Saturday, Busch Gardens Williamsburg will be kicking off the season by hosting Coasting for Kids, a fundraising, roller coaster riding event for kids with critical illnesses and their families. This event is being co-hosted by Give Kids The World.
Haven’t heard of Give Kids The World? Neither had I until recently. Here’s a little information on them….
GKTW was Founded in 1986 by Central Florida hotelier and philanthropist, Henri Landwirth.
The GKTW village, opened in 1989, is an 84-acre, nonprofit resort built exclusively to serve critically-ill children and their families. The villas offer fully accessible accommodations, with all meals provided on site, tickets to local attraction, plus all transportation.
Local wish-granting organizations also assist GKTW with providing airfare, car rentals, spending money, and anything else the families need, to include helping with medical care and translators. These donations help to relieve the stress of illnesses by giving the families a week long dream vacation, stress free.
And the best part? There is never any charge to visiting families, and no child is ever turned away.
Since 1986, GKTW has served over 160,000 families from all 50 states and over 75 countries.
If you think GKTW sounds similar to another well known organization, Make a Wish Foundation, you are correct. According to Jessica Mueller, Social & Content Strategist for GKTW, they actually partner with Make A Wish Foundation and over 230 other wish granting partners to fulfill wishes of critically ill children whose wish is related to theme parks. “When wish granting organizations have a child whose wish is to visit the Central Florida attractions, they work with us. We fulfill the wish for not only the wish child, but the whole family with a week-long, cost-free dream vacation.” says Mueller.
How can you participate in the Coasting with Kids event at Busch Gardens? Simple. The park is asking for guests to start your own fundraiser to help support the mission. By raising just $100 (that’s EASY, right?), you can receive an event exclusive t-shirt, and all day access to Busch Gardens beginning at 8:00am with exclusive early rides on the coasters.
If you want to know more about GKTW check them out on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/gktwvillage/
The Busch Gardens Coasting for Kids event page can be found here
https://www.facebook.com/events/2028429887210033/?active_tab=discussion
For more information about the event, and how to start your own fundraiser (it’s not too late!!!) visit http://www.gktw.org/coasting to sign up.
