Where is Lighthouse?
The retreats are located in the Florida panhandle between Destin and Panama City Beach. Families stay in rented or donated homes in the beach side communities like Seaside, Rosemary, WaterColor, and Gulf Trace. While the retreats are held in Florida, our office is in Norcross, Georgia – just north of Atlanta.
How do you select the families?
The majority of our families hear about Lighthouse from other families who have already enjoyed the Lighthouse experience. To attend a retreat, families submit applications and must receive a referral and medical clearance from their oncology health care team.
How much does it cost for a family to attend? And a volunteer?
There is no cost to the retreat families to attend. They are only responsible for their transportation to and from the retreat. Volunteers not only give a week of their vacation to serve our families, they also raise $750 per volunteer, $250 per dependent child and when a high school group attends a retreat, they raise $500 each.
Can I sponsor a family to attend or a volunteer to serve?
We would love to have all families and volunteers sponsored by a church, school, individual, business, or group – like a neighborhood, tennis team, Sunday school class, etc. The cost to sponsor a family is $2500. The cost to sponsor a volunteer to serve is $750.
What is your annual budget?
Our annual budget is about $800,000. We are able to concentrate our funding on the families thanks to the generosity of those who donate retreat meals, retreat specific housing and the tremendous amount of volunteer support.
What type of donations do you need?
We are looking for individual gifts, charitable family foundations and corporations, family and volunteer sponsors, donations of retreat housing and supplies, auction items and stock donations. Every financial donation is important to us and makes a difference in our ministry.
Is my gift tax-deductible?
Lighthouse Family Retreat is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit ministry. All donations are tax deductible. All donors receive a tax letter at the end of the calendar year.
What is the long term goal for Lighthouse?
Our hope for the future is to have retreat venues not only on the Florida panhandle, but also to replicate Lighthouse Family Retreat on other coasts, so that we can maximize the number of families that can experience Lighthouse.
Can I make a gift of appreciated securities such as stock or mutual funds to Lighthouse ?
Yes. We have an account with Charles Schwab and will gladly receive such a contribution. Please contact colleen@lighthousefamilyretreat.org to initiate a transfer.
What is the Tax ID for Lighthouse Family Retreat?
Lighthouse Family Retreat is not-for-profit 501(c)3 and 58-2509728 is our tax id number.
