Give Kids The World Village in Kissimmee is about to go through an "Extreme Village Makeover."
The village contains nearly 150 villas that temporarily house children with life threatening illnesses and their families as they vacation in Florida.
The organization said they want parents and kids to leave worries behind as they explore the whimsical village in Florida’s nice climate and visit the local theme parks.
“We have the happiness that provides hope and what happens is when kids come here with their families, they forget about doctors. They forget about medical treatments and all they do is enjoy their week, bond as a family,” said Mark Hoewing from Give Kids The World.
A total of 88 villas will be getting a major overhaul during the makeover, which begins this weekend. Many of the villas were built 25 years ago and are in need of upgrades.
“They’re in need of new carpeting, new tile, new appliances, all those kinds of things,” said Hoewing.
For the first time in 25 years, the village has actually been shut down to families so the construction can be expedited.
GKTW said the overhaul will take 4,000 gallons of paint, 3,000 electrical outlets and 100,000 square feet of flooring materials.
Workers from Wyndham Vacation Ownership are donating their time to work on the project. Wyndham is also donating materials.
“Making sure that we have a first class quality product and having families go into something brand new is going to be awesome,” said Hoewing.
When families start visiting again later in January, not only will they have totally renovated places to stay, they will also be able to visit the popular places in GKTW village like the ice cream palace where families can have ice cream for breakfast.
If you’d like to learn more about the village, including how to donate and/or volunteer, visit http://www.gktw.org/