By Fallan Patterson
Staff Writer

Kissimmee wish-granting organization Give Kids The World Village were nominated as a finalist for two awards from the “Academy Awards of philanthropy,” officials said, but failed to qualify for the next round.

The organization was selected by the CLASSY Awards for Most Creative Fundraiser by a Charity for their Ice Cream For Breakfast campaigns and Volunteer of the Year for Joe Koch, who has volunteered more than 20,000 hours with the charity over nearly 20 years.

“The CLASSY Awards is one of the most prestigious recognitions a nonprofit organization can receive, so Give Kids The World is honored to have been nominated as a finalist in two categories,” said Give Kids The World Public Relations Manager Colette Krahenbuhl. “Although we didn’t advance to the next round, we are still so honored to be selected from 2,400 nominees as a Top 5 Regional Finalist for the CLASSY Awards. With the continued support of our friends and partners here in Osceola Country and around the world, we try for the ‘gold’ again next year.”

Koch, who broke the village’s record for more hours volunteered by an individual, has volunteered the equivalent of working eight hours a day, five days a week for nearly ten years straight.

At the height of his work with the organization, Koch, 84, volunteered six days a week, often from early morning until late at night with only a short rest in between shifts.

Despite being in the early stages of Parkinson’s disease, Koch arrives by 5:30 a.m. three days a week to the village, located off Bass Road. He hasn’t let his disease, the death of his wife, prostate cancer treatments or a quadruple bypass surgery stop him from volunteering.

Koch will soon be featured on the CBS Evening News with Scott Pelley, Krahenbuhl said.

He was beat out in the East Regional category by Gene Talerico, an assistant district attorney in Scranton, PA who volunteers for Marley’s Mission, which provides free equine-based therapy to children who’ve experienced trauma.

In its third year, the Ice Cream For Breakfast campaign, which officially kicked off in July in conjunction with National Ice Cream Month, encourages families, friends, community groups and corporations to show their support for Give Kids The World by hosting and attending ice cream socials in their hometowns. Last year’s campaign raised more than $47,600 which was used to benefit the 7,097 families who visited the village in 2011.

For more than 20 years, GKTW has offered all-you-can-eat ice cream in the village’s famous Ice Cream Palace. Wish children and their families enjoy unlimited cones, sundaes, shakes and even dairy-free and special topping options at the palace, which is open from early in the morning until late at night, so everyone can enjoy ice cream whenever they want—even for breakfast.

The Ice Cream For Breakfast fundraising campaign was inspired by a family who stayed at Give Kids The World Village during their child’s wish trip. After returning home, the family decided that they would celebrate one of their favorite memories of the Village – having ice cream for breakfast – on the anniversary of their trip.

Ice Cream For Breakfast lost in the East Regional category to Rochester, NY-based Melissa’s Living Legacy Teen Cancer Foundation, who is hosting a Duel in the Pool where one of the teens challenged American Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong to a kick board race and raised more than $75,000.

The winners will be announced Sept. 22 at a ceremony in San Diego.