Our buddy and fellow podcaster Erik over at Theme Park Thrill wanted us to pass along some information about a great charity that he’s helping head up, Single Riders. They’re raising money for “Give Kids the World” by riding roller coasters, awesome.
Check out the info after the break.
Coaster Crew’s “Single Riders” Charity
Theme Parks have brought joy to people all over the world. Parks have given us a place to escape our realities, live out our dreams and give us something to look forward to. In recent years parks have also given us a way to help. From coaster marathons, to 5K’s to helping build a whole village, parks are reaching out to fans and are allowing us to help those that need it. Its with that in mind that Single Riders returns for a second year to help out the national charity Give Kids the World. And for all you theme park lovers, Give Kids the World is right up your alley.
According to the official Give Kids The World Website:
“Give Kids The World Village (GKTW) is a 70-acre, non-profit resort in Central Florida that creates magical memories for children with life-threatening illnesses and their families. GKTW provides accommodations at its whimsical resort, donated attractions tickets, meals and more for a week-long, cost-free fantasy vacation. With the help of many generous individuals, corporations and partnering wish-granting organizations, Give Kids The World has welcomed more than 85,000 families from all 50 states and over 60 countries.”
What they don’t tell you is that the village was built by the theme park giants in Central Florida. The place is in and of itself a theme park. Unlike the surrounding theme parks, Give Kids the World is run entirely by Volunteers, and on the kindness of others such as Disney, Universal, and Busch Entertainment.
Enter Single Riders. Single Riders is a group of park and coaster lovers who ride coasters to raise money for charity. You ever see the coasters pull away from the station and see empty seats? Single Riders fill those seats, and in return, take pledges to earn money. Last year they raised over $6,000 dollars with the help of Kennywood, and this year they hope to earn more.
Last year Single Riders was limited to just Kennywood in Miffin, PA. This year, Single Riders has grown to include not only Kennywood, but also Lake Compounce, IdleWild and Story Land. Also, Single Riders will be branching out to Central Florida and heading to the GKTW Village to throw in a helping hand and volunteer at this truly amazing place.
Now, here comes the point. Because we are all theme park and coaster fans, we need all of your help. There is a huge goal this year, and we need your help reaching it. If you are in the areas of these parks, we’d love to see you ride! If you’re going to ride, however, you will have to help raise money. If you don’t want to ride, or if you just want to help there are volunteer positions available at all of the park locations, as well as at the GKTW Village in Kissimmee , FL. Cant make it to any of the locations? Then donate a dollar or two. It doesn’t have to be much, every little bit counts and helps. But we really need your help to make this event great and hopefully give it cause to expand. But most importantly we need your help to help the kids.
To sign up to volunteer, to donate or just more information please visit:
https://www.coastercrew.com/singleriders.php
For more info on Give Kids the World please visit:
https://www.gktw.org
Thanks