High Impact Practices Student Showcase Spring 2025

Spreading Hope at Give Kids The World

Spreading Hope at Give Kids The World

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Course Code

LDR

Course Number

2002

Faculty/Instructor

Dr. Haley Winston

Faculty/Instructor Email

haley@ucf.edu

About the Author

Hello, my name is Tien and I'm a Computer Science major student at UCF. During my Spring-2025 semester at the institution, I was blessed with the opportunity to apply and witness the act of volunteerism and its role in assisting an organization carry out its publicly-stated mission. I decided to start my journey at Give Kids The World, a non-profit whimsical resort that was created to bring a sense of fulfillment with life-threatening illness.

However I wouldn't be able to complete this mission of helping terminally-ill children find their sparks without the collective effort of my passionate group members from the UCF-LEAD Scholars Academy, who have dedicated over 15 hours of volunteering to make the children embrace their illnesses with hope and joy and actively participating in group meeting for the past 14 weeks. Therefore, I’d like to acknowledge Mariela Rodriguez, Stephanie Jaro, William Graham, Chrisondra Marks, and Jada Wilson for their amazing hard work.

Moreover, I'd like to express my gratitude to Dr. Winston for her consistent facilitation and guidance in our long term service-learning project of the Spring 2025 semester.

Lastly, I’d like to thank Katie Kear for organizing an everlasting and meaningful volunteering experience for me and each group member at Give Kids The World. Her enthusiasm and passion for the cause have been an inspiration to all of us, reminding us of the power of community and the impact we can have when we work together toward a common goal.

In conclusion, I am deeply grateful to everyone who contributed to this incredible journey. It is an honor to be part of this life-changing initiative, and I will always carry the lessons learned and the memories created with me going forward. Thank you to Give Kids The World, my group members, Dr. Winston, and Katie Kear for making this experience one I will never forget.

Abstract, Summary, or Creative Statement

This semester-long project is aimed to facilitate civic engagement by connecting students with their local community. It provided an opportunity for students to collaborate with their peers in order to gain insight into the organization’s core mission and its root causes. Through this experience, students were empowered to make informed decisions and develop a stronger sense of active citizenship

It is highly expected for students to establish group principles and set clear common goals to forward transformative changes. Therefore, they are responsible for organizing group meetings as well as volunteering to uplift an organization in carrying out its mission.

Through this, I’ve learned the importance of collaboration, how powerful community support can be. Each group member has their own unique volunteering experience. For me, I underestimated the impact of operating amusement park rides, but over time, I saw how simple acts of kindness can make a lasting impact on children facing life-threatening illnesses. Ultimately, this project has deepened my appreciation for the role of volunteerism in achieving meaningful change.

Additional Resources

References

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Staff, O. (2024, April 17). Give Kids The World Village marks 5 million volunteer hours. West Orange Times & Observer. https://www.orangeobserver.com/news/2024/apr/17/give-kids-the-world-village-marks-5-million-volunteer-hours/

Universal Logo, symbol, meaning, history, PNG, brand. (n.d.). Logos-world.net. https://logos-world.net/universal-logo/

UCF LEAD Scholars Academy | Orlando, FL. (2022). Facebook.com. https://www.facebook.com/leadscholars/

Wikipedia Contributors. (2025, February 21). Henri Landwirth. Wikipedia; Wikimedia Foundation. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henri_Landwirth

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Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License.

Keywords

Give Kids The World;gktw; HIP;High Impact Practice;spring 2025; civic engagement; community involvement; student collaboration; volunteerism; transformative change; active citizenship; group principles; organizational support; social impact; Give Kids The World; volunteer experience; community support; meaningful change; group goals; collaboration skills; social responsibility; project-based learning;

Spreading Hope at Give Kids The World


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