Even though I had signed up to volunteer at Give Kids the World back in 7th grade, due to the distance, I never used to go quite as often as I have been going now. And the more I go, the more I fall in love with the people, the guests, the personal interactions we can have. All the guests are so genuinely happy to be there, regardless of age, gender, or race. That place transports them to a new world, in which they can forget about problems they may be having at home and focus on the now. But I would have to say, for me the best part isn't what you may think. In my opinion, the best part of the entire village is John. John is a retired volunteer who has been working with GTKW since the 90's, and if you so much as step into Amberville, you will be able to see his stunning contribution. John and another volunteer put in more than 200 hours to create an entire interactive miniature town, complete with moving trains, changing lights and tv's hooked up to cameras so you are the star :) John's passion for the project is indescribable. Although I have been stationed at Amberville for multiple of his weekly visits, he always asks me if I want to go to the small control room below the display to see what makes the whole town run. Whether it's from the pure love of what he does, or just the result of mild memory loss, the childlike excitement he has in his voice when talking about how he made it is simply delightful. To have just 10% of the passion John shows toward his creation would be immense to anyone else.
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