BRAVA Signature Project (Synthetic Cedar Shake):
Give Kids the World
BRAVA protects and preserves lifetimes of priceless memories
When most think of Central Florida, they usually think of the attractions in the Greater Orlando area, famously known as the "Theme Park Capital of the World." They think of magical destinations like Walt Disney World, Universal, SeaWorld, LEGOLAND, Kennedy Space Center — where so many families travel every year to have amazing adventures and make unforgettable memories.
Just a short drive from the House of the Mouse is Kissimmee, a vibrant and diverse city that's earned the moniker "Vacation Home Capital of the World" due to its massive array of rentals and resorts. Located here on 89 acres is a very special place that has hosted more than 205,000 families from all 50 states and 77 countries ever since it first opened nearly 4 decades ago. It has everything you'd expect from a premier resort: comfortable accommodations, gracious hospitality, fabulous amenities and activities, and more. There's one significant difference, however: it has a very exclusive guest list, made up of children with critical illnesses and their families.
Give Kids The World Village is an independent nonprofit "storybook" resort dedicated to making the dreams of its Wish families come true. By partnering with over 200 wish-granting organizations from around the globe such as Make-A-Wish and Disney, as well as through the generosity of its donors, the Village grants week-long cost-free Florida vacations to these inspiring children and their loved ones.
"We're not your ordinary hotel or resort," says Give Kids The World's President and CEO Caroline Schumacher. "We want our Wish families to have this step into a world full of magic and hope and inspiration, where kindness just permeates throughout the Village."
The Village's mission is the actual heart of the organization, tracing back to its renowned founder, Henri Landwirth (1927-2018). A Holocaust survivor, Landwirth not only lost his parents to the war, he also lost his childhood and adolescence to time spent in concentration camps. Landwirth eventually immigrated to America, where he built a successful career as a hotelier providing lodging and theme park access to visiting children. It was his experience with one such child that inspired the development of Give Kids The World.
Landwirth had been asked to provide a complimentary stay at one of his hotels for Amy, a little girl with leukemia, and her family, as it was Amy's wish to visit Orlando's theme parks. He very gladly obliged, but the logistics of the travel plans took too long to arrange; sadly, Amy passed before her wish could be granted.
From that moment, Landwirth vowed that no child in need would ever be failed again. He started by building just one villa, which then became 16, then 32, and now has grown to 168 fully-accessible villas. Having known the heartbreak of losing one's childhood and the chance to make precious memories, Landwirth resolved to create a magical place of infinite and even urgent joy, enlisting the support of his colleagues in the hospitality and tourism industries to make it possible to bring these remarkable children and their families to Florida, within 24 hours if need be.
Today, Give Kids The World Village continues to fulfill his mission with an unwavering, fierce devotion to providing nothing less than a perfect, top-of-the-line stay for every visitor it hosts.
"We want our families to have the best possible experience when they're here," says Schumacher. "To go home with flawless memories. We don't want them to feel like they're accepting charity — we want them to feel like they got the trip of a lifetime that could never be replicated."
As anyone who works or volunteers at the Village will tell you, every single detail counts — from the greeting they provide the families arriving at the airport, to the unlimited ice cream they serve happily from sunup to sundown, to the beautiful structures that create the Village's spectacular setting. Absolutely nothing can be less than stellar, give or perform less than 100%.
So when the roof of the Village's landmark building began to fail, it was an immediate all hands on deck.
"BRAVA actually matched more closely the look we had currently on the castle, which was three design tab and the longevity of the product. Like I say, at the bottom of our mission statement, which I helped write years and years ago, there's a line that says for as long as there is a need. BRAVA was actually the product that fit that that allows us to keep doing that so we can serve these families for as long as there is a need. And I see this as being a 40, 50 year project for us up there," says Bausman.
"BRAVA was the top manufacturer and product for this, given that they have such a realistic-looking synthetic shake product."
— Ryan Kruse, Co-owner, Florida Specialty Roofing
"This has been on my wish list for a long time."
Give Kids The World's director of facilities resources Michael Bausman is referring to the beautiful new roof on the Castle of Miracles, the Village's iconic focal point that's just as adored by the Wish families as it is the volunteers and staff members. Inside the Castle resides a wheelchair-accessible enchanted carousel beautifully decorated with hand-painted, hand-carved animals, but the standout feature is without a doubt the thousands upon thousands of gold stars that adorn its ceiling as well as the adjacent Star Tower and Star Observatory.
In keeping with the Village's beloved Star Tradition, every child who stays there leaves behind one of these stars, creating a physical remembrance as well as a meaningful archive of all the guests the Village has welcomed. Aside from the children and their families, this sea of stars is the most treasured element here — which is why the failure of the Castle's previous roofing system was so devastating.
"We're in hurricane country, and it only takes one thing to change everything."
— Michael Bausman, Give Kids The World Village Director of Facilities Resources, Kissimmee, Florida
Staff regularly walk the Village property to ensure that everything is clean, safe, and show ready. That's how they noticed the Castle's previous synthetic shingle roof was failing. The roofing product was simply coming off; pieces of it were being found in the landscaping. The search for a superior-quality long-term roofing solution became mission critical.
"The original roof product was very heavy, solid, and dense," explained Bausman. It also hadn't lived up to its promise of protecting against the sun's damaging UV rays, which contributed to its failure. And the Village was all too aware of the fate that awaited the children's legacies literally written in the stars beneath that roof without a superior roofing solution.
As vital as it was to select a roofing product that would successfully protect the Castle and its interior from Florida's harsh and often brutal elements, it was just as crucial that the new roof would not only preserve but also enhance the Village experience for its cherished guests.
"We really take to heart what we're putting in this place," asserted Schumacher. "And when we look at this Castle, we're sincerely looking at what's going to be the best picture for them. When they take a photo of that Castle, how are they going to feel about it when they look back?
"It's so important that we keep everything around here looking absolutely first class for these families. They have only one Wish experience, and we have one chance to get it right."
Enter BRAVA.
"Everything that you see around Give Kids the World is either donated, physically donated, or it's purchased with a donor dollar. So our investors are the donors who believe in our mission and want us to really make sure that we safeguard that Wish family experience. So that's a big responsibility at the end of the day when we're looking at how we're spending our money and who we're bringing on property. So that's the next part of that. Who's going to be coming on our property to work? They're going to now be part of somebody's Wish memories. Our families are going to remember hearing the noise of the construction going on on the next big project to Give Kids the World. They're going to see the people working on it and we want to make sure that that's actually a really great story to tell, that they're going to feel really good about, wow, that was so cool to see the really friendly crew that was working on the repairs on the castle," says Schumacher.
"You guys bring it home. You remind me of what the village is about. It happened because of people like BRAVA and Florida Specialty Roofing who want to make a difference, and I feel very blessed to be around people like that."
— Michael Bausman, Give Kids The World Village Director of Facilities Resources, Kissimmee, Florida
Resilience is a word full of meaning at Give Kids the World Village. It's rooted in its objective to "ignite an enduring sense of hope" that continues well after the families return home. It's a quality embodied by every child who comes through their gates, regardless of the challenges they're facing. It's also the first thing that came to Ryan Kruse's mind as he stepped foot onto the property and saw his own challenge awaiting him.
As the co-owner of Florida Specialty Roofing (FSR), a premium Central Florida contractor that's made its mark from its expertise in complex designer installations, Kruse is no stranger to the volatile weather of the Sunshine State — nor to the highly specialized needs of clients like Give Kids the World.
"The Castle of Miracles roof is definitely unique, unlike typical roofs you see on other properties or homes," says Kruse, speaking of the various steep slopes with limited access as well as a large decorative mushroom that intersects with the roof. "The old composite shake on it was disintegrating, just falling apart, and being a theme-park style destination, the Village had a lot of children and families walking under that roof. It just wasn't safe."
The Village had had high hopes for the previous roof material. FSR are staunch promoters of composite roofing, having seen firsthand how countless roofs made of traditional materials like concrete tile and asphalt shingles deteriorate and fail in Florida's unrelenting climate. However, the composite roofing product itself needs to be of the highest quality, and the installer cannot be any less than highly skilled in working with it in order for the client to receive the results they want and so desperately need.
"Putting a watertight roof on that building was paramount, as it protects all those stars underneath it," emphasized Kruse.
When the search initially began for a contractor, Bausman himself was concerned about the number of roofers he'd encountered who would install products they didn't even know anything about, and whose skills were sub par. So, he reached out to manufacturers first instead — which included BRAVA, who'd been recommended to the Village numerous times by industry professionals.'
BRAVA's high-performing, authentically beautiful composite roofing tile easily stood out. The product's stellar performance ratings and proven resiliency in everything from heat and humidity to driving rain and hurricanes was a huge selling point for Bausman.
"I looked at a lot of the jobs that BRAVA had done. There just so many pluses about their product. It's definitely more flexible, more UV friendly. It's lighter, and it cuts better. The forms are great. And it doesn't add any extra stress to our roof."
BRAVA in turn recommended FSR as an ideal installer for the job. After touring the site, Kruse had been so moved by what he saw that he reached out to BRAVA to see if they'd like to partner in providing a new roof to the Village completely free of cost. BRAVA heartily agreed, donating all the roofing material while FSR donated their installation services.
"Given the mission and goal of the Village," says Kruse, "this seemed like an organization we could help, utilizing both BRAVA's roofing material and our services to restore their great Castle of Miracles and bring it back to life with BRAVA tile."
FSR knew from experience that BRAVA composite roofing is unmatched in durability and performance. Its tile has received the highest impact-resistance rating (Class 4) against hail and storm damage and is approved to withstand wind speeds up to 188 mph using nails and up to 211 mph with high-wind screw installation. BRAVA products are also Miami-Dade County approved and have inherent UV and fade protection, ensuring they won't degrade over time.
Bausman was also impressed with the manufacturer's proprietary manufacturing process, where it combines synthetic polymers with compression molding to produce a remarkably strong roofing tile. The icing on the cake, though, was how exactly the BRAVA tile replicated the rustic look of real shakes that made the Castle's prior roof so distinctive. The combination of rugged split textures with a blend of colors throughout each and every tile provided a true-to-life natural beauty.
"It's a very whimsical castle," said Bausman, "and the look was key. BRAVA's product actually matched the look we'd had on the previous roof."
"If we had dramatically changed the way it looked," added Schumacher, "it would change the way it looks for somebody who comes in tomorrow and says, 'Well, gosh, that's not what I saw online,' or 'That's not what I expected.' And that may seem silly and simple, but we really want it to be down to the smallest detail."
The end result is a gorgeous roof built to stand the text of time, protecting and preserving individual child legacies as well as the meaningful experience for families arriving in the future.
"If you were here two years ago, you really wouldn't think you were looking at anything different now," shared Bauman. "That's important. I can see the newness, but the families won't. They're going to see just the memories."
About Give Kids The World Village
Give Kids The World Village is an 89-acre storybook nonprofit resort located in Central Florida that is devoted to fulfilling the wishes of children with critical illnesses. During one incredible week, these children and their loved ones — known as the Village's Wish families — are treated to the trip of a lifetime at no cost to them, so they can laugh, play, and create priceless memories together away from the rigor of hospital visits and medical procedures. The Village is made possible by the support of generous donors and community partners as well as thousands of passionate volunteers, who donate their time and talent to making wishes and dreams come true.
About Florida Specialty Roofing
Florida Specialty Roofing is a BRAVA Craftsman roofing contractor, bringing premium roofing products to residential and commercial installations from coast to coast. Their vision is to be the most trusted source of specialty and designer roof systems across the state, delivering a level of unrivaled craftsmanship in the high-end residential and large multifamily roof space and proudly offering top-quality roofing products such as BRAVA composite tile.
