Bionic Buzz® got to cover the the ribbon-cutting ceremony of Give Kids the World Village’s Henri’s Starlite Scoops Space-Themed Accessible Ice Cream Parlor. This was on their 35th anniversary of the 89-acre, whimsical nonprofit resort in Kissimmee, Florida, that provides week-long, cost-free wish vacations to critically ill children and their families from around the world who want to visit Central Florida.
Henri’s Starlite Scoops was designed by Walt Disney Imagineering in partnership with Universal Creative, with support from 12 community partners. It features immersive space theming including historic photos, NASA memorabilia, and a 30-foot UFO on the roof. Retired U.S. Navy captain and former NASA astronaut Chris Ferguson, a veteran of three space shuttle missions and commander of the final shuttle mission, joined wish families and VIP’s in celebrating the grand opening of Henri’s Starlite Scoop. Henri’s Starlite Scoops is named for GKTW Founder Henri Landwirth, who managed the Starlite Motel in Cocoa Beach – the temporary home to the original Mercury 7 astronauts. John Glenn and other Mercury 7 astronauts became Henri’s lifelong friends as well as tremendous supporters of Give Kids The World.
After the ceremony we got to do a quick interview with Chris Ferguson. We talked about where his passion for being an astronaut came from and his work with the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation.
Connect:
https://www.gktw.org/
https://twitter.com/gktwvillage
https://www.facebook.com/gktwvillage
https://www.instagram.com/gktwvillage/
http://www.AstronautScholarship.org/
https://www.facebook.com/AstronautScholarship/