After surviving the Holocaust, Henri Landwirth’s success as a hotelier allowed him to do what he loves: give to those in need.

“We make a living by what we get; we make a life by what we give.” This quote has inspired the vision and the essence of life that has made philanthropist and hotelier Henri Landwirth the incomparable success he is today.

Tattooed in blue ink on the inside of Landwirth’s left forearm is the number B4343. It serves as a permanent reminder of the horrors perpetrated by Nazi Germany against humanity, and as a personal reminder that he is living on borrowed time – time which he has never taken for granted.

Between the ages of 13 and 18, Landwirth was shuttled between Nazi death camps and labor camps, including Auschwitz, Matthausen, and Ostrowitz. At the end of the war, he was marched into the woods to be shot, but at the last minute, a Nazi soldier chose to spare his life and told him to escape.

When the war ended, Landwirth left his native Belgium for the United States, arriving with just $20 in his pocket. Soon after he settled in New York, he received a letter from the President of the United States. At first, he believed the President was welcoming him to America – instead, it was a draft notice.

After serving in the U.S. Army and learning the English language, Landwirth used his GI Bill benefits to take a course in hotel management. He obtained a job in a New York City hotel and, in 1954, Landwirth moved to Florida and soon was manager of the 100-room Starlite Motel, temporary home to the Mercury Seven Astronauts.

Today, Landwirth is using his past business success as the basis for impacting the community and the world. For more than 20 years, he has devoted himself to helping those in need.

An example occurred many years ago when Landwirth learned that a reservation for his hotel was cancelled for a child with a life-threatening illness because arrangements for the trip took too long and the child had passed away. Landwirth vowed this would never happen again and in 1986, Give Kids The World (GKTW) came to life. The organization operated for three years in the hotel’s store room until Landwirth broke ground in 1989 for the first destination to offer these remarkable children the chance to visit Central Florida and make their dreams come true.

Today, Give Kids The World Village has grown into a 70-acre resort in Kissimmee, Florida, for children with life-threatening illnesses and their families from all 50 states and over 50 countries. To date, the Village has welcomed over 80,000 families for a week-long fantasy vacation, complete with accommodations at Give Kids The World’s whimsical resort, transportation, meals, and great programs and surprises for the entire family – not to mention tickets to all three major Central Florida theme parks. It is a vacation beyond their wildest imagination, and it is all completely free.

In late 1999, Landwirth also founded Dignity U Wear to provide hope to children and their families who are homeless, abused, abandoned, or neglected by providing them with new clothes, free of charge.

Landwirth has earned numerous honors, including an invitation to the White House in 1990. In addition, he has twice carried the Olympic torch and has earned the Florida Hotel & Motel Association President’s Award; the Creative Thinking National Recognition Award; entrance into the National Sales Hall of Fame; the Outstanding Philanthropist Award; and the prestigious Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Award for Humanitarian Contributions to the Health of Humankind. The Caring Institute selected him as one of the 12 most caring people in America, and Parents Magazine named him Humanitarian of the Year. In addition, Landwirth’s life and the story of Give Kids The World are chronicled in his book, Gift of Life.

“I never had any control over my life as a child,” Landwirth says. “I think that is what inspired me to do what I’m doing today – to thank you for this life I have. And with God’s help, I’ll be able to continue serving for as long as I’m needed.”