Many theme park fans know about the larger foundations that help fulfill wishes for children threatened with life-threatening diseases, but they’re probably less familiar with the Sunshine Foundation. The Sunshine Foundation operates a nonprofit village where children who fall through the cracks of the ‘wish’ based organizations, get a chance to have their dreams come true. Thanks to LEGOLAND FLorida, the Sunshine Foundation’s Dream Village is getting a LEGO themed make-over. Renovations have begun on one of nine uniquely-themed cottages found at the Dream Village. From ceiling to floor, this cottage will be transformed into a LEGOLAND Florida lover’s dream with highly-themed rooms and a LEGO Duplo plate wall with a play area.
“LEGOLAND Florida is thrilled to join with our partners to make a difference at the Sunshine Foundation’s Dream Village and in the lives of the families they serve,” said, Adrian Jones, General Manager of LEGOLAND Florida. “We hope this is just the beginning of the renovations to come.”
“We are extremely excited and truly grateful for the generosity and support from LEGOLAND Florida, Merlin’s Magic Wand and their partners,” said, Kate Sample, President of Sunshine Foundation. “The children we serve will absolutely love the renovated cottage!”
Merlin’s Magic Wand is the charitable organization for LEGOLAND Florida’s parent company, Merlin Entertainments Group, and is funded through the generosity of staff and private donors. While LEGOLAND Florida and Merlin’s Magic Wand are leading the efforts, many local companies have joined the cause to provide substantial financial contributions to the project including construction and roofing materials, air conditioning, furniture, paint and volunteer time:
· Badcock & More
· Kommercial Refrigeration, Inc.
· Rick Wilson Painting, Inc.
· Springer Peterson Roofing and Sheet Metal, Inc
· The Home Depot
· Tucker Construction Group, Inc.
Renovations are expected to take approximately 6-8 weeks and an official ribbon cutting ceremony will be held in late October to unveil the new LEGOLAND Florida cottage.
Located in Davenport and built in 1989, the Sunshine Foundation Dream Village’s sole purpose is to answer the dreams of chronically ill, seriously ill, physically challenged and abused children ages three to eighteen, whose families cannot fulfill their requests due to financial strain that the child’s illness may cause. Most wish granting entities must limit their services to those children that have a life-threatening condition. The Sunshine Foundation is able to answer dreams for those children that don’t meet the standard criteria but still face severe, life-long circumstances.