Give Kids the World Village gets $4M makeover

KISSIMMEE, Fla. — A charity that provides dream vacations for children with life-threatening illnesses is working to get business partners to help complete a $4 million makeover.

They want to do it all by working 24 hours a day for two weeks.

Channel 9's Lori Brown found out every year, 14,000 children with life-threatening illnesses dream of a vacation in Orlando.

A wish is what brought 5-year-old Karli Legg to her dream vacation.

"I like Mickey Mouse," Karli Legg said.

"She has a congenital heart defect she was born with, has had open heart surgery, she has cerebral palsy and osteoporosis," said Karli's mom, Jennifer Legg.

Give Kids the World Village works with the Make-a-Wish Foundation to help 7,500 children and their families with life-threatening illnesses forget about those illnesses for one week.

"At home, it's so stressful. At home all we do is we both work, and when we're off we're going to an appointment or she's (having) a procedure done. It's just constant. Getting away for a week is a big relief," Jennifer Legg said.

To make the week as nice as possible, the village is in need of $4 million worth of renovations.

"Some of our villas are over 25 years old, you can imagine the wear and tear," said Vice President Mitch Goldberg of Give Kids the World Village.

The founder is a Holocaust survivor who owned a hotel in Kissimmee. A family with an ill child made a reservation but later cancelled. He asked why, and found out the child had died. And that is why he created the village.

Wyndham came to us, and said, 'You know what, we feel like we can lead this project for you in (a) two-week period,'" Goldberg said.

If more businesses get on board, officials said it will happen January 2014, which will help more kids like Karli feel like the royalty that they are.

"Are you a queen?" asked Channel 9's Lori Brown.

Karli nodded her head 'yes.'

Businesses who want to donate contractor services or materials can find a link at wftv.com/weblinks.

WFTV