When Michelle Plaisance was vacationing at Epcot in Orlando 25 years ago, she learned of a different kind of resort in Florida, the Give Kids the World Village in Kissimmee.

Plaisance, a physical education teacher from Larose Cut Off Middle School, picked up a pamphlet for Give Kids the World, an 89-acre, nonprofit "storybook" resort where children with critical illnesses and their families are treated to weeklong, cost-free vacations. Give Kids the World partners with over 250 referring wish-granting organizations to fulfill a child's wish to visit Florida.

The resort was founded by hotelier and Holocaust survivor Henri Landwirth so that sick children could vacation with their families at no cost.

Plaisance took the pamphlet home and asked her advisory group at the middle school if they wanted to do a fundraiser to benefit the resort. In the last month of school, they raised $1,000 for the nonprofit.

Mickey Maniacs at Give Kids the World in 2024 with their annual donation.

The following year they decided to do a service project, and the advisory group raised money all year. Plaisance, four students and their parents went down to the Give Kids the World Village to volunteer and deliver a $3,000 check.

The fundraiser led to the start of a new club at Larose Cut Off Middle School, the Mickey Maniacs. In the last 24 years, the members of Mickey Maniacs have raised more than $1.4 million for Give Kids the World.

These days, the communities of Larose and Cut Off, small communities at the very southern part of the state in Lafourche Parish, are involved in supporting Give Kids the World through multiple fundraisers throughout the year.

Although no longer at Larose Cut Off Middle School, Plaisance is still heavily involved in Mickey Maniacs. When she left the middle school, Plaisance handed leadership duties over to Celeste Breaux and Molly Bourgeois.

Excitement over membership

With 120 members this year, Mickey Maniacs is a popular club to join at the middle school. So much so that children in elementary school can't wait to get to middle school so they can join. Throughout the year, students raise money by working school concession stands and a strawberry sale while also conducting fundraisers like the annual MK 5K and Brayden Breaux Memorial Golf Tournament.

Celeste Breaux, principal of Larose Cut Off Middle School and one of the sponsors of the Mickey Maniacs, crosses the finish line of the MK 5K, a fundraiser for Give Kids the World in honor of MaryKate Bruce who passed away from cancer.

Bourgeois and Breaux share the load of the Maniacs' fundraisers and events. They even get help from the current P.E. teacher and her students, who set up concessions daily.

"Everybody knows their role," Bourgeois says. "They want to be involved, and they play their role. Everybody at the school wants to help out. It's a big club, and they realize the importance of it."

Both Bourgeois and Breaux have ties to the mission of Give Kids the World, as the MK 5K is named after Bourgeois's niece, MaryKate, who passed away from leukemia, and the golf tournament is in honor of Breaux's nephew who passed away from brain cancer. He attended Give Kids the World Village through a granted wish.

A group of Mickey Maniacs gather together with a picture of Brayden Breaux at the Brayden Breaux Memorial Golf Tournament, a fundraiser for Give Kids the World. Front row left is Celeste Breaux and in the back, holding the frame, second from left, is Molly Bourgeois, co-sponsor of Mickey Maniacs and next to her on the right is Michelle Plaisance, the founder of the Mickey Maniacs club.

"Molly and I just got involved with helping Michelle because Mickey Maniacs was an awesome cause," said Breaux. "And see how it has impacted our families, without us even knowing."

The best part of each year is the club trip to Give Kids the World in May. Traveling from Cut Off to Florida, the club takes the check for that year's fundraisers. Both students and parents volunteer for the day all over the resort, meeting families who have benefited from the generosity of their middle school and community.

After each donation, Give Kids the World and Mickey Maniacs help decide on how to spend the money. The club has donated money for a large cooking trailer for grilled hamburger nights by the pool, a wheelchair accessible shuttle, reading area, bowling alley and other special spots around the resort.

A 'no judgment' atmosphere

In Baton Rouge, the Blackburn family says they always feel taken care of when they visit Give Kids the World. April and Seth Blackburn have visited the resort almost every year since 2017 with their two children, Ethan and Laina.

Four-year-old Laina and six-year-old Ethan Blackburn on Laina's wish trip to Give Kids the World, the first trip of many for the family..

In 2015, Laina was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia, and, in 2017, she got her wish granted to take a trip to Give Kids the World.

The experience is second-to-none, April Blackburn says. Every Wish kid and their family also receive tickets to Disney World, Universal Studios, Sea World, Legoland, the Peppa Pig Theme Park and discounted tickets to other places. Give Kids the World families stay in villas on the property, which are like small houses with multiple bedrooms, a full kitchen, living area and bathrooms.

Other highlights include scheduled "tuck-ins" where the mascots of the resort, Mayor Clayton and Ms. Merry, visit the children at bedtime and read them a story. Blackburn says her kids' other favorite part of the resort is free ice cream from Henri's Starlite Scoops, named for the founder.

An adaptive playground, a pool, splashpad, large pond, arcade, train, carousel, free movie theater and miniature golf course are all available for the children and their families.

Laina smiles at one of her favorite GKTW spots, the carousel, in 2021.

"Everything's adaptive," April Blackburn said. "Everything can be accessed with a wheelchair. Everything's free, and it's mainly staffed by volunteers who are all so nice."

Another part of the nonprofit that the Blackburns appreciate is the "no judgment" atmosphere, April Blackburn said. Whether children are in wheelchairs or have feeding tubes, no one stares or cares. It's a place for chronically ill children and families to feel normal and at ease.

Better than Disney World

The Blackburn kids, now 11 and 13, say Give Kids the World is better than Disney World because everything there is geared toward making you happy. The inclusivity and kindness go a long way for families dealing with sickness and health issues.

Ethan Blackburn, 13, and Laina Blackburn, 11, take their annual regal pictures on the thrones at Give Kids the World. They have been attending since 2017.

April Blackburn was surprised to learn that annual gifts from Mickey Maniacs in Lafourche Parish helped pave the way for her and her family to enjoy Give Kids the World to the fullest.

Bourgeois said the Larose and Cut Off communities "rally around anything involving our kids."

"That's just ingrained in us," she said. "That's how we were raised — you look out for each other and take care of each other."