Toys for Tots Partners with Give Kids The World for Critically Ill Children to Support Local Families During the Holidays

KISSIMMEE, Fla., Dec. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- To make sure the holidays are bright for less fortunate children in the community, the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots programs of Seminole and Osceola Counties have teamed up with Give Kids The World Village in Kissimmee – an 89-acre non-profit resort that fulfills the wishes of critically ill children from around the world. 

Each night through December 18, the public is invited to make a donation of new, unwrapped toys when they attend Night of a Million Lights, a walk-through, socially-distanced holiday light spectacular taking place at the Village through January 3. Toys for Tots collection boxes are located in Parking Lots A, B and C, as well as at the Whac-A-Mole game inside the Village, each night from 5:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.  So far, more than 35 boxes of toys have been collected during the first two weeks of the event.

The Toys for Tots program is supported by Walt Disney World Resort as well as WFTV Channel 9 and the WFTV 9 Family Connection. The program is being spearheaded at Give Kids The World by Overnight Operations Manager and military mom Laura Gonzalez.  Laura's husband, Mark W. Gonzalez, served for eight years as a Senior Airman in the U.S. Air Force; son, Mark A. Gonzalez, is also a Senior Airman in the U.S. Air Force, and will be deployed to the Middle East in March; and father-in-law, Frank Gonzalez, retired after 30 years in the U.S. Air Force as a Master Sergeant.

"The U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots program needs help now more than ever to ensure that every child receives a toy this holiday season," said SSGT Ashley Jacques, Toys for Tots coordinator for Seminole and Osceola Counties.

Tickets for Night of a Million Lights can be purchased at www.gktw.org/lights, offering guests an opportunity to stroll among more than three million lights that have been donated by Walt Disney World Resort; ride the Village's accessible attractions; and enjoy complimentary treats. 

"We are privileged to collaborate with Toys for Tots to bring some joy and happiness to local children who would not otherwise receive gifts at the holidays," said Give Kids The World President & CEO Pamela Landwirth. "We invite the entire community to come out and give generously in support of this wonderful cause."

Give Kids The World Village provides critically ill children and their families with transformative weeklong wish vacations at no cost. Since 1986, Give Kids The World has welcomed more than 176,000 families from all 50 states and 76 countries. 

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Give Kids The World Village closed temporarily to wish families in mid-March, delaying more than 6,000 wishes.  Proceeds from Night of a Million Lights will ensure that these and other wishes can be fulfilled once the Village reopens.  Give Kids The World Village is located at 210 S. Bass Road in Kissimmee, FL 34746.  For more information, please visit www.gktw.org. 

CONTACT:          
Cindy Elliott
(562) 896-1177
[email protected]

SOURCE Give Kids The World