Coasting For Kids event raises nearly $10k for Give Kids The World

That's awesome!

-Tina

Not knowing all about this foundation I went to the website and read the bio on the founder and all I can say is WOW. This guy is dediacated to helping a lot of people in different ways. I didnt even realize he founded the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation, to which I know a few who benefited from that..

Way cool. Hats off to CBers and their dedicated support to this cause.

I saw GKTW in action when I worked at Universal. At PFlyers, I once got teary-eyed when I saw a little boy, about 6 years old, who appeared very sick. He wore a hat to cover his bald head. He didn't even have enough strength to get himself on the ride, and had to be lifted out of his wheelchair and onto the seat. As he left the station, his expression was lethargic. During his ride, his mother told us that he had cancer, but was fighting it something fierce. When he came back into the station after the ride, he had the biggest, cutest, gappy-toothed smile I have ever seen. Making a sick kid happy is very rewarding to see.

Both Give Kids The World and Make-A-Wish have really touched my heart. My last band played a few shows that benefited Make-A-Wish before we broke up. I believe in those two charities, and support them when I can.

I always like to mention that just because a kid gets a wish granted from Make-A-Wish and GKTW doesn't mean that the kid is going to die. I hear a lot of people assume that, and it's just not true. Some of the kids who get a wish granted win the battle over their illness, and get to live a normal life. I believe that it is good for a sick kids health to be able to go on a vacation or to meet their favorite movie star, and maybe it helps them to battle the stress of fighting illness, helping them to eventually overcome it.

That's absolutely true. In fact, one of the kids who did get better (I forgot her name now, but I know she's been in a couple of the recent newsletters) has become quite a young spokesperson for the organization.

Pam shared that one of the kids who was briefly at the Gemini event actually said, when asked about her favorite part of her family's vacation, that her favorite part was the "house" where they stayed at the village.

You can't say enough about the power of community.