disneyfan1313 Posted April 7, 2012 Share Posted April 7, 2012 ^ I did my donations early on but decided to throw another $5 your way since you have been so great about mentioning this on Facebook! Hope you make your goal soon!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timberskara Posted April 8, 2012 Share Posted April 8, 2012 It's safe to say that Matthew's Boundless Playground is the only one of its kind in the world. As the name implies, the play area is "boundless" meaning that the majority of it is accessible by wheelchair. This photo shows only a small portion of the playground, but notice the special swings for children of all abilities. They always remind me of OTSRs on coasters . Â The playground is also home to the world's largest permanent Candy Land game! Each Sunday, the game is played with giant-sized playing cards while the kids hop/roll along the life-size game board. This incredible play area was donated by Hasbro and is only one of the many things the company does for the Village. Â My personal favorite thing about the playground is that it allows kids of all ages and abilities to play with one another. Kids that normally are forced to sit on the sidelines can play right alongside their siblings-- many times, for the very first time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SuperShawn Posted April 8, 2012 Share Posted April 8, 2012 ^ I did my donations early on but decided to throw another $5 your way since you have been so great about mentioning this on Facebook! Hope you make your goal soon!!!! Â Thank you very much Reed, it's nice to know all my Facebook harassment is paying off! Â ^^ that is a brilliant playground, and the sound of playing life sized Candy Lane is amazing, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhantomNick Posted April 8, 2012 Share Posted April 8, 2012 $15 for the cause. TPR is that much closer to $10,000. Â Thanks so much for the donation Matthew!! Â Remember guys and gals, I am still matching all donations made to my page (up to $100 total) until 8pm on Easter. So keep the donations coming - current total for Good Giving Easter Weekend sits at $16 and counting! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sspaz1000 Posted April 8, 2012 Share Posted April 8, 2012 Kara, Â That playground is amazing. And a life size candy land game, sounds like so much fun! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aLFREd_25 Posted April 8, 2012 Share Posted April 8, 2012 Just $5 away from hitting $70. I've been posting it on my Facebook like wild fire! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhantomNick Posted April 9, 2012 Share Posted April 9, 2012 Kara, that playground is fantastic! I'm just amazed at all the wonderful things you have for the kids there! It warms my heart to know that all of us from Team TPR are supporting such a great place. Â I'm going to extend the matching donations offer for one more day in hopes of getting some extra donations for GKTW! Dollar for dollar matching still in effect until 11pm Eastern tomorrow. As always, any support is greatly appreciated! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chadster Posted April 9, 2012 Share Posted April 9, 2012 Just $5 away from hitting $70. I've been posting it on my Facebook like wild fire! Â Almost to the $75, I might be able to help promote a bit in tomorrows edition of CVA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikeykaise Posted April 9, 2012 Share Posted April 9, 2012 Here's my status report, so far I'm at $61 out of the $150 I would like to raise for this awesome place. I found out Friday that I could apply for a grant with our corporate office and if approved it would be a $500 grant that would be directly deposited to GKTW but that would qualify as a off-line donation... so if everyone can keep fingers, toes, and eyes crossed while saying a prayer I would greatly be appreciated! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alilstronger Posted April 9, 2012 Share Posted April 9, 2012 Here's my status report, so far I'm at $61 out of the $150 I would like to raise for this awesome place. I found out Friday that I could apply for a grant with our corporate office and if approved it would be a $500 grant that would be directly deposited to GKTW but that would qualify as a off-line donation... so if everyone can keep fingers, toes, and eyes crossed while saying a prayer I would greatly be appreciated! Â It is all crossed for you! Â Â Kara the playground is AMAZING!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
larrygator Posted April 9, 2012 Share Posted April 9, 2012 Team TPR is closing in on $9,700 in pledges. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhantomNick Posted April 9, 2012 Share Posted April 9, 2012 Â Incredible work everyone!! $10,000 in donations, here we come! It makes me wonder how high Team TPR's total will get by June..... Keep it up, guys and gals! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sspaz1000 Posted April 9, 2012 Share Posted April 9, 2012 Ok, I have $117 in donations so far, that's great because that means you all get to see the Coney Island update from the TPR Northeast Trip last year. Remember to check out the Forst Files to see all my updates so far.  If I get up to $125 in donations, you'll see Day 1 of the TPR trip. And the more you donate the more PTR's will go up. I'm sure you guys want to see what an awesome time I had at Great Adventure this weekend don't you? Donate enough $ and you'll get to my 2012 adventures  Also I have some incentives for people. For $2 donation, I'll give you a 2012 Great Adventure Park map (first 11 people for now, I'm going back on the 29th of the month I can get more maps then). Also for $2 donation, I have 7 Philadelphia Zoo maps (again first 7 people, don't know when I'm getting back to the zoo).  For a $3 donation I have 2 2011 Coney Island Fun Maps, 2 maps from Six Flags New England (2011), 2 maps from the Great Escape and Splashwater Kingdom (2011), and 1 2011 map of La Ronde. (again first come first serve)  After you donate send me a PM with your name/address and what map you would like.  I'll keep updating so everyone will know what is left  Let's go Team TPR we can get to $10k in donations! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timberskara Posted April 9, 2012 Share Posted April 9, 2012 If I had to pick one visual that sums up what we do here at GKTW, it would be the ceiling in the Castle of Miracles. Â Each one of those shimmering dots is a star. Each star represents a wish child that GKTW has served. To date, there are more than 90,000 stars in the Castle sky! Note: GKTW has served more than 115,000, but the star program did not start until 1992 when the Castle was built. Â During their vacation, the wish child is invited to come to the Castle of Miracles and write their name on the star. Each night, the Star Fairy casts the day's stars up into the sky. The very next day, the child and his/her family can scan their Star Passport to discover the coordinates of their star-- where it will stay forever. Â The star program is extremely meaningful to the child and their family. We give each wish child a duplicate star to bring home with them as a souvenir, and many will hang it on the ceiling of their bedroom or hospital room. Â After their weeklong stay with us, we invite the family to come back for a day visit whenever they would like, to relive the memories. As you can imagine, sadly, we have many families that make a pilgrimage to the Village after their child's passing just to see their star. It brings the families an incredible amount of comfort to know that their child's star is still shining brightly in the place that brought them so much joy. It's not all sad, though-- we also have wish children that are now grown adults who bring their families back to show them their star and share the story of GKTW. Â Even though I go in the Castle frequently, the stars never cease to take my breath away. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sspaz1000 Posted April 9, 2012 Share Posted April 9, 2012 Kara, that's beautiful. I love the stars. Thanks for sharing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chadster Posted April 9, 2012 Share Posted April 9, 2012 ^^ This is what makes this fundraiser totally worth it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikeykaise Posted April 9, 2012 Share Posted April 9, 2012 This is really breath taking seeing just how many children have been helped. What will happen when there is no more ceiling space? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alilstronger Posted April 9, 2012 Share Posted April 9, 2012 Kara, Â The star story just brought me to tears at my desk at work hehe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jojo19799 Posted April 9, 2012 Share Posted April 9, 2012 Just $5 away from hitting $70. I've been posting it on my Facebook like wild fire! Â Looks like you've exceeded that goal now. Â Great work everyone! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheSpartan188 Posted April 10, 2012 Share Posted April 10, 2012 I'd go but it's really out of my budget, hopefully next year. Someone gimme more info about it plz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timberskara Posted April 10, 2012 Share Posted April 10, 2012 I'm so glad you all enjoyed learning about our star program! Today's post is a follow-up to yesterday, and answers the following question: What will happen when there is no more ceiling space? In 2010, it was clear we were running out of room for the stars. You can see in yesterday's photo that we even started hanging banners from the ceiling to make room for more stars, but it was a very short-term solution. We got in touch with ITEC Entertainment, the company that originally built GKTW's Castle and is best known for their stunning theming work for amusement parks. Â Together, we came up with a plan for an addition to the Castle that could house more stars. Thanks to generous and dedicated supporters like Hasbro and Universal, the plans came to life and the Star Tower opened in May of 2011. This new tower will last another 7-9 years, depending on how much the Village grows. When the Star Tower's constellations are full, another turret will be added. We are extremely grateful that this tradition will continue as long as there is a need. Â Seriously talented students at Carnegie Mellon University created an interactive star tracking system for the new tower, using a series of cameras and an iPad. It's truly amazing what they were able to accomplish, and how much it enhances the star finding experience for the family. If you have 3 minutes, please check out their project video. Â As of this morning, Team TPR is just $122 away from hitting $10k. I have the special bonus post written and ready to roll...so who's going to help put us over the $10k mark today ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikeykaise Posted April 10, 2012 Share Posted April 10, 2012 thank you Kara, that is awesome and if today was payday I would make that $122 donation, blast you semi-monthly pay schedule *shakes fists at the pay gods* Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sspaz1000 Posted April 10, 2012 Share Posted April 10, 2012 That is so great that you'll keep making more room for stars! Hopefully, I'll be able to make some donations later in the week when I get paid! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alilstronger Posted April 10, 2012 Share Posted April 10, 2012 Wow how much thought and patience goes into GKTW!!! I wish I lived near it in FL so I could volunteer every chance I got!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhantomNick Posted April 11, 2012 Share Posted April 11, 2012 (edited) Kara, those 2 star stories made me tear up.....this place is just more amazing with each update you post! Â Also, a big thank you to you and Matthew for your generous donations during "Good Giving Easter Weekend"!! After reading these recent updates, I decided not only to match your donations, but to double them as well. That's another $33 headed to GKTW! Hopefully Team TPR is even closer now to that awesome milestone of $10,000 raised! Â On a personal note, I am now within striking distance of my goal, which I thought would be a long shot to reach when I raised it. A huge thanks to all those from TPR who have donated! Edited April 11, 2012 by PhantomNick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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