Inclusive play goes beyond the physical. Creating an environment fully grounded in experience means that guests don’t notice the intentional and accessible modifications employed to enable engagement. They can play, relax, and enter an amenity with full confidence that they are both welcome and invited alongside everyone else, regardless of ability.
That mindset is part of daily operation at Give Kids The World Village.
Give Kids The World Village is a fully accessible nonprofit resort in Central Florida. For the past 40 years, the Village has welcomed children with critical illnesses and their families for a weeklong wish vacation experience, away from daily routines of doctor visits and hospital stays. Give Kids The World welcomes them with open arms, surrounding them in kindness, joy and fun. To date, Give Kids The World has welcomed over 201,000 families to Central Florida from all 50 states and 77 countries.
The Give Kids The World staff curates the entire experience for each family. From the moment they land at the airport, to personalized “Welcome Home” signs on each family’s villa, to the Castle of Miracles which features shining stars hanging on the ceiling representing each wish child, the whimsical Village is the place for making memories and sharing precious moments together.
One of the Village’s most popular amenities has also quickly become one of the Life Floor team’s favorite installations in the world: the splash pad lovingly called Jack’s Wacky Water Works.
In the summer of 2024, Give Kids The World applied for Life Floor’s Matching Funds Grant Program and became the first facility to be awarded a 100% match towards the tile materials to surface Jack's Wacky Water Works.
In their application to our Matching Funds Grant Program, they wrote, “Give Kids The World's mission is to create joy, inspire optimism, and ignite an enduring sense of hope in the hearts of critically ill children and their families from Central Florida and around the world during magical week-long, cost-free wish vacations in our 89-acre, fully accessible, nonprofit resort. This grant will enable us to upgrade Jack's Wacky Water Works splash pad - the centerpiece to the Park of Dreams Pool at Give Kids The World Village - for the safety and enjoyment of our precious guests. Both the pool and splash pad are among the myriad of wheelchair accessible amenities and attractions we offer wish families within a whimsical storybook resort imagined from the pages of a fairy tale. Since 1986, 200,000 critically ill children and their families have been welcomed to the Village… with nearly 9,000 wish families visiting each year.”
Surface Before: Concrete
When our internal review panel received the application, it was a unanimous vote for acceptance. Shortly after we delivered the good news, our in-house Design Studio met with the Give Kids The World’s project team to discuss options. Their team presented a lovely sketch of their dream for the amenity. It showed a highly thematic design that referenced the splash pad's mascot, an octopus named Jack, with swirling pink tentacles that lead visitors through the different spray features as guided pathways. Life-sized surfboards integrated into the surface are placed throughout for playful activation, and Marine Inlays are interspersed for additional engagement.
Sketch provided by Give Kids The World
Design Copyrighted by Life Floor, duplication or rendition prohibited.
The Life Floor Design Studio refined the sketch to fit within our color palette and meet our custom design requirements to ensure a high fidelity replication true to the vision. As one of the most complex designs in the world that does not utilize Murals, every piece had to be optimized to ensure a successful installation by Baynum Amusement Solution’s expert crews.
MaryAnn Eifert, now Life Floor’s Director of Registered Aquatic Partners and Training, was the sales representative handling the project at the time. As a Central Floridian resident for the last 20+ years, she says “Give Kids The World is a mission that matters. This is one of the few organizations I’ve seen go above and beyond creating opportunities for entire families to make meaningful memories with kids who might not have as long. Because of that mission, I knew Baynum was undoubtedly the right choice to partner with; their values and heart for people is aligned with Life Floor’s. We’re honored to be part of Give Kids The World’s impact through Jack's Wacky Water Works splash pad.”
Baynum Amusement Solutions is Life Floor’s longest-standing Certified Installation partner. They’re also one of our Registered Aquatic Partners and commit to performing high quality work throughout all of their projects. Several members of their team regularly participate in the annual Give Kids The World charity golf tournament at IAAPA Expo and have been engaged for over 20 years. So, when they found out we were moving forward with this project, they enthusiastically agreed to perform the installation at a significant discount.
““Our crews take a lot of pride in the work they do, but this one meant something more. Knowing that what we installed helps create a space where families can take a breath from everything they’re carrying, laugh together, and just be a family for a while - that sticks with you. We were grateful to be part of a group of partners who all showed up for something bigger than any one company. Give Kids The World has meant a lot to our team for many years, and being able to support the Village’s mission in a hands-on way made this project especially meaningful.””
Installation was completed in March 2025 as soon as temperatures warmed up and the amenity opened soon after. At nearly 3,000 sq ft (280 sq m), the splash pad now features 12 colors in Life Floor’s Ripple texture which is NSF/ANSI/CAN 50 certified for slip-resistance, cushioning, durability, and more. Transition Strips surround the perimeter of the refreshed space, ensuring a no-trip and ADA compliant entryway.
And the best part is that all of these safety features are built-in to our products, so guests only see the bright, bold, joyful design that encourages them to play freely.
Michael Bausman, Director of Facilities and Resources, is excited about the improvements and partnership with Life Floor. "The new flooring on the splash pad is amazing,” he said. “It has completely transformed the splash pad at our Park of Dreams, and our guests love it. Not only is the flooring colorful and whimsical like the rest of the Village, it is also fully accessible, allowing children in wheelchairs to safely experience fun in the water. Just in time for our 40th anniversary, Life Floor has given us an incredible gift that will be enjoyed by our wish families for many years."
More Highlights at The Park of Dreams Pool
Martin Aquatic, located about 20 miles from The Village, saw an opportunity to donate their expert design and engineering services to create meaningful and accessible water play nearly twenty years ago. "Back in 2007, when we designed the splash pad for Give Kids The World, we pushed water-quality innovation as far as the technology allowed, but there simply wasn’t a perfect solution for surface safety yet,” said Josh Martin, President and Creative Director of Martin Aquatic. “Since the introduction of Life Floor, surface safety is central to almost every splash pad we design."
Jeff Ellis Management, a branch of Ellis & Associates, donates lifesaving equipment and lifeguard services to Give Kids The World. Because of their involvement, they’ve helped to ensure the more than 9,000 wish families who visit the Village each year have memorable, safe experiences at the Park of Dreams Pool.
In 2024, Central Florida Pool and Spa donated and installed an Aqua Creek Pool Lift and a Jandy Pool Heater to both provide another way for guests to enjoy the pool and to feel comfortable within it. Even in climates as warm as Florida, pool heaters are critical for individuals who may not be able to regulate their temperatures and for those who are sensitive to tepid water.
Truly, the industry impact at Give Kids The World is incredible, and the names involved span more than we can adequately celebrate in a single blog. Beyond those we named above, we want to extend a sincere thank you to the following companies who have supported the Park of Dreams at the Village: American Airlines, American Locker Company, Aquatic Consulting and Equipment, Buena Vista Construction, Centex Rooney, Classic Marcite, Electrosonic, Don & Lorraine Freeburg Foundation, Ellis & Associates, Evoqua, Florida Patio Furniture, Icarus Exhibits, Martin Aquatic Design and Engineering, Neptune Benson/Defender, Joe Parinella, Pool Professionals, Quick Silver Store, Salt Life Construction, Serendipity, SNA, Spies Pool, SteamLabs, Universal Orlando Resort and Studios and Universal Creative, Vally Crest, Vortex Aquatic Structures, Walt Disney World and Walt Disney Imagineering.
We’re sure there are more than these who have contributed in some way that we missed mentioning; thank you for your heart for people.
Less than 1% of all U.S. charities receive Charity Navigator's highest rating. Give Kids The World has earned this rating for 18 years in a row. "Give Kids The World is a place where kindness surrounds every person,” shared Caroline Schumacher, President and CEO of Give Kids The World. “Life Floor's Matching Funds Grant Program allowed us to brighten Jack's Wacky Works and connect us with an incredible new partner we now consider part of our global family. Thank you Life Floor, for your generous support of the Village. The smiles we see every day on the faces of our wish families say it all."
Life Floor’s Matching Funds Grant Program
Our Matching Funds Grant Program is part of our philanthropic effort to ease the cost of our premium safety surfaces for facilities in the U.S. that do not have the means to invest in it at full price. We annually build a dedicated fund to award these grants into our company budget and award them based on merit, need, and passion for a facility’s community.
Matching Grants range between 25-100% match. Tiers are based on the local city’s median household income, city operations budget per capita (if municipal), facility’s dedication to accessibility, and more. Design possibilities are subject to current availability of inventory and demand.