Give Kids The World Village, a Kissimmee, FL based nonprofit that fulfills wish vacations for critically ill children and their families, is building a $2 million ice cream parlor scheduled to open in late 2019, called Henri’s Starlite Scoops.
The new location is possible because of the help of 12 community partners and countless individual donors who contributed to make this venue a reality.
The name of the space-themed parlor, Henri’s Starlite Scoops, is a nod to Give Kids The World Founder, Henri Landwirth, who managed the Starlite Motel in Cocoa Beach during the Apollo era prior to founding the nonprofit resort.
“The entire building is designed with our guests’ needs in mind,” said Michael Bausman, project manager at Give Kids The World. “One accommodation we’re particularly excited about is our accessible ice cream chest freezers. The traditional ice cream chest is 34 inches in height, making it difficult for children in wheelchairs to see in to pick out their ice cream. We custom-built ours at 28 inches so everyone can choose their flavor.”
Wheelchair accessibility is key at Give Kids The World Village, and this new venue will be no different. The counter tops, ice cream freezers, and the building’s open floor plan will allow those in wheelchairs to easily navigate the venue and enjoy its immersive theming. Families will see a 30-foot UFO on top of the building and when inside, they’ll look through the windows out into “space.”
The nonprofit has built a legacy on unlimited ice cream, dating back to the Village opening its gates in 1989. According to Pamela Landwirth, president and CEO of Give Kids The World, the latest venue will mark a new era for their ice cream tradition and magical moments for wish families.
“Unlimited ice cream is an important part of giving wish families a week of ‘yes’ where they can forget the worries of critical illness,” said Landwirth, president and CEO of Give Kids The World. “Henri’s Starlite Scoops is our next chapter and we’re so grateful to the partners who are helping us turn this page.”
To learn more about Give Kids The World Village and this project visit www.gktw.org.
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