GKTW

*Please note for privacy reasons names have been changed in this post*

Why hello there.

Give Kids The World.  

Amazing experience. Amazing organisation. 

Tonight (Wednesday 18th) I went to Give Kids The World as a Disney VoluntEARS. I went with Amy and Lauren and when we arrived we went to an orientation about the night - KIDS NIGHT OUT. KNO is a night where the volunteers are given a child to become 'best friends' with from 5:45-9pm. In that time we with our new best friends play video games, mini golf, drive boats and just have fun. We then go to dinner in the Cupcake room at around 7pm until 7:45ish before we head off to the Village theatre for Village Idol, where the children are the stars.

 Lauren, Amy and Myself 

Giant popcorn out the front of the theater

After orientation we were off to find our new best friends. After waiting and saying we didn't want to be picked first, 3 little girls walked into the room and it was announced they were 3 sisters. Perfect or what? So we snapped them up and we were off. Our 3 sisters were from Rhode Island and were all born in February, they were 9, 6 and 3. On the sheet we were given to look over regarding anything we should be concerned about we noticed it said the youngest had trouble warming up to adults, but we all knew by the end these girls would love us.

We walked out of the main room and into a little arcade game which is where I met my new best friend Belle*. Belle was the eldest out of the sisters and was a little shy but she warmed up very nicely. We started by playing a whack-a-mole game before moving onto  more difficult game. I'm not even kidding. You had to push buttons that threw balls into the air and you had to try and get the frog to eat them. Not the easiest game I have played. We then played a colour game before moving onto driving a boat. After that I got Belle to show me around the area, before we played basketball, she beat me again. Not long after that we went to play mini-golf, now this course could be a little frightening. It is themed to dinosaurs that move, squirt you, and ROAR! While on hole 3 I may have accidentally hit the ball a little to hard and it landed in the water, we had a good laugh about it though, before moving on to the hole where the dinosaur squirts you. Even though Belle told me it would, I got a fright and may have let out a scream. At the end of hole 7 there is a T-Rex who roars at you, however he wasn't roaring so I roared instead. Belle loved it. Just after we finished it was time for dinner, time flies when your having fun.

We started to walk to the Gingerbread house and next thing I knew, a little hand grabbed mine. It was then I knew I had made a best friend. While at dinner we were surprised with a visit from the Mayor and his wife - 2 giant bunnies. Unfortunately the smallest of the sisters Ariel* was terrified of them so Lauren took her away from them and to calm her down. However Belle and Jasmine* loved the Mayor and his wife and after they had left Belle informed me that the night before the Mayors wife came and tucked them into bed. My heart melted. Before we knew it was time to go to the theater for Village Idol. As we were walking we past some pavers that had families names in them and Belle informed me that her friend had a paver near us, and then told me her friend had cancer, I asked if she was okay and Belle said yes which put a smile back on my face.

Once we got to the theater we registered Belle and Jasmine as they were doing a dance for Village Idol and they got their number; 9, and we went inside and took a seat and saw the first 4 or 5 performances. These children's strength and courage tore at my heart strings, seeing some of the children who were so sick, getting up on stage and singing and dancing their hearts out for everyone to see just broke me. However there was no time for tears as it was time for our two sisters to perform, and did they perform. They did an Irish dance that was fantastic, I was speechless. I had never seen something so pure and simple and everyone loved our sisters. After us there were a few more performances before it was time for our judges to pick a winner and everyone was declared a winner. Once that was over it was time to say farewell to my best friend. Their parents were so thankful and keep saying it over and over.

Once our family had left we still had 15 minutes before the end of our night and still a few families who were arriving to pick up their children but they played music we could dance to. So I got up and did the Cupid Shuffle, YMCA, Macarena and a few others. A perfect way to end the night.

So what else has been happening? 

Aside from GKTW not much else has been happening, just working a lot - 6 days straight. After class on Tuesday I went to Hollywood Studios and saw my best friend Darth Vader and a Stormtrooper and got photos again which is always fun. Today I am off to hangout with Sweetums after a nice long week of hanging with Vader.

However on Monday the 16th I got to create some magic for a Make-A-Wish child, Flynn* who participated in our Jedi Training, I hung out with him for 20 minutes before the show as he was in a special stroller so he had to wait up the top of the stage and not with the other children and he told me lots of cool things before he went on stage. I got to watch him beat Vader before he used the force push on the troopers which was great, I was hoping they would pick him. After the show I quickly got Mum and his little sister who would've been about 2 and took them up to see Flynn and Dad on the stage, and took them to the top of Star Tours. When we got there I was talking to Flynn and telling him what a great job he did and then the Jedi Master arrived and talked to Flynn and took some photos, before our big guests arrived. Darth and the Troopers. 

The troopers remembered Flynn and signaled to each other that it was him who force pushed them earlier. The smiles that were on the family were amazing. Darth came over then and gave a light saber to both of them and then it was time for photos. Today it was my best friends there so I was watching them and one of them was captivated by Flynn's sister and was playing with her when she dropped her light saber. Unfortunately I couldn't get around to pick it up so when the Trooper looked at me and shrugged, I had to shrug back because I couldn't to the light saber. The next thing that happened was so funny I was on the ground laughing. My best trooper friend had to try and bend down to pick it up but because of all his armor he can't bend down the nest so he was shaking and trying to remain balanced, but he got the light saber which was good. 

Then before we knew it Vader and one Trooper had left and my friend was still up here, and as he was saying bye, Flynn's sister did a little force push and the Trooper fell back just like when Flynn did it. Oh they also signed Flynn's autograph book, which they normally don't do. Can you say magical? I wanted to cry. Flynn's mum and dad were so thankful to us all and it made me smile so much for the rest of my 12 hour shift.

That is really it for now. I'm off to finish getting ready for work.
Until next time,
Stay Magical.

xx