Give Kids the World Village is celebrating a 20-year charitable partnership with IAAPA at the organisation’s annual expo, which has marked the milestone with a US$20 for 20 years promotion.

Give Kids the World Village – a cost-free resort for children with life threatening illnesses – partnered again with IAAPA at this year’s show where attendees could give a donation of US$20 – one dollar for each year Give Kids the World has partnered with IAAPA – the reward being a badge that reads “I gave 20 for 20”.

“This was a new promotion the IAAPA staff came up with trying to make it more fun and more entertaining,” said Give Kids the World president Pamela Landwirth, speaking to Attractions Management. “This was very easy as you walk by, you put US$20 in a bucket and you get a badge. We’re very pleased with how it’s come out and it’s great exposure for the charity.

“It started out 20 years ago with our world passport programme where 400 of the parks around the world signed up and families could go to any participating park anywhere in the world for free after they visit the village,” she continued. “That’s where our relationship with IAAPA started and it’s just expanded and grown to a golf tournament, a motorcycle run, a 5K run at the village and it’s just been a tremendous outpouring of support from IAAPA’s members.

Outside of work with Give Kids the World, Landwirth praised the wider attractions industry and the work it has done with sick and disabled children.

“The entire amusement industry is so caring and so giving - it’s just one big family,” she said. “Half of all children with the diagnosis of a life-threatening illness wish to go to Disney, Universal, SeaWorld or a similar option. I think that’s amazing and it’s a testament to the kind of experiences that the industry provides for these families.”

Give Kids the World Village is set to welcome a record number of visitors in 2015, with 7,950 families expected to visit by the end of the year. In 2016 the park is expected to welcome more than 8,000 families and since its inception has catered to more than 140,000 families, something Landwirth says IAAPA played a big supporting role in.

“The relationship has been incredibly important first of all from the dollars raised, second from the awareness,” said Landwirth. “New countries that have got involved with is because of IAAPA means we’ve been able to reach out to more families and their children. We really have children who believe they are alive today because of this experience. What this community does really makes a profound and long-term difference. It’s absolutely incredible.”

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