Give Kids The World Celebrates 40 Years of Giving, Honors Founder

The Kissimmee-based nonprofit marks milestone with tribute to Henri Landwirth, who opened the village for children with critical illnesses.

Mar. 12, 2026 at 11:41am

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Give Kids The World Village, a 89-acre resort in Kissimmee, Florida that provides vacations for children with critical illnesses and their families, celebrated its 40th anniversary. At the annual Founder's Day event, the organization honored its founder Henri Landwirth with the addition of his own star in the Castle of Miracles, a symbolic gesture representing the thousands of 'Wish Kids' who have visited the village over the decades.

Why it matters

Give Kids The World Village has provided a respite and magical experience for over 200,000 children with life-threatening illnesses and their families since it opened in 1986. The organization's mission to create joy, hope and happiness for these families is rooted in the personal story and vision of its founder Henri Landwirth, a Holocaust survivor who wanted to give back after overcoming his own traumatic childhood.

The details

At the Founder's Day celebration, a new short film biography of Henri Landwirth premiered, highlighting his journey from a World War II concentration camp survivor to a successful hotelier who then dedicated his life to establishing the nonprofit village. The film touched on how Landwirth's personal experiences shaped his desire to create a place where critically ill children and their families could escape the difficulties of their medical journeys and simply 'be kids' for a week. The village now has 166 villas and employs nearly 200 people, supported by over 15,000 volunteers.

  • Give Kids The World Village opened in 1986.
  • The annual Founder's Day event was held last week.
  • This year's Founder's Day would have marked Henri Landwirth's 99th birthday.

The players

Give Kids The World Village

A 89-acre resort in Kissimmee, Florida that provides vacations for children with critical illnesses and their families.

Henri Landwirth

The founder of Give Kids The World Village, a Holocaust survivor who opened the resort in 1986 to provide a magical experience for critically ill children.

Caroline Schumacher

The CEO of Give Kids The World Village, who took over the role from Henri Landwirth's widow Pamela Landwirth.

Gary Landwirth

The son of Henri Landwirth, who spoke about the importance of understanding his father's personal history and how it shaped the mission of Give Kids The World Village.

Audrey Perrott

The children's book author who wrote the screenplay for the short film biography of Henri Landwirth.

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What they’re saying

“It really all goes back to his vision to create this place for children where they can just be kids. Families can make memories, they feel safe, they don't have to worry about anything and really protecting the integrity of the children that we serve. When you look at the shield (on which Henri's star appears), Henri was a protector of these kids and their memories.”

— Caroline Schumacher, CEO, Give Kids The World Village (aroundosceola.com)

“You all know my Dad was in a concentration camp and had a terrible childhood. He rose above all that and became successful. And then he was able to see that it wasn't money that made him happy, it was serving other people. And the reason I think it's so important that we remember that part of his life is that the Village couldn't be here without understanding how he viewed the world.”

— Gary Landwirth, Son of Henri Landwirth (aroundosceola.com)

“The stars were absolutely a major factor in how I rewrote that manuscript into a screenplay. It really started with a conversation between Gary and I talking about bringing Henri's spirit into this space and wanting him to have a star here. The star served as a beautiful metaphor that we could show the darkest parts of Henri's story in the film, but do so in a way that was symbolic of him, his family, the families here that went through the village, and also the families that were lost in the Holocaust, and be able to do that in a very gentle and special way.”

— Audrey Perrott, Children's book author and screenwriter (aroundosceola.com)

What’s next

The new short film biography of Henri Landwirth will be shown regularly to Give Kids The World Village families and visitors to share the founder's inspiring story and vision.

The takeaway

Give Kids The World Village's 40-year legacy is a testament to the power of one person's determination to transform personal tragedy into a mission of joy and hope for critically ill children and their families. Henri Landwirth's story of resilience and compassion continues to guide the organization's work in providing magical experiences for those facing unimaginable challenges.