† Give Kids The World Founder Henri Landwirth Dies at 91

Henri Landwirth, Founder of the non-profit organization Give Kids The World (GKTW) and the Give Kids The World Village in Kissimmee/Florida, died this past Monday after a long illness at the age of 91 years.

Born in 1927 in Antwerp/Belgium, Henri Landwirth was separated from his family early during World War II and spent five years of his youth in the Auschwitz and Mauthausen concentration camps. He survived the war and immigrated to the USA, where he joined the US Army. Later, he studied Hotel Management in New York and in 1954 became the manager of the Starlight Motel in Cocoa Beach/Florida.

Upon retiring as a successful hotelier, Landwirth dedicated himself to helping the needy and set about founding charities and non-profit organizations, including GKTW, which enables families with terminally ill children to enjoy a theme park visit together. Until to date, Landwirth’s charity program could help more than 160,000 children from the US and foreign nations. GKTW Village started in 1989 comprising an area of some 14 hectares (35 acres) and since then has been growing to just under 34 hectares (84 acres) with 166 villa-style accommodations today. In November 2017, Henri Landwirth and his former wife and GKTW President Pamela Landwirth were inducted into the “IAAPA Hall of Fame” for their accomplishments and contributions to the international amusement industry (cf. EAP, 1/18).

The leisure industry mourns the loss of a man, who made the support of people in need his mission. GKTW Village has invited to a celebration of Landwirth’s life on April 28^th. He is survived by his three children Gary, Greg and Lisa and his four grandchildren. (eap)