By now, we’re all familiar with the common words used to describe 2020: Unprecedented. Confusing. Uncertain. Chaotic. Isolating. Last year, as our team began the first summer in 20 years without beach retreats, these words became more real than ever. I saw them in the faces of our leadership, heard them in the voices of church and school partners and felt them from supporters in our Lighthouse family.

 

What hit home even harder for me? The truth that families living through childhood cancer carry the weight of these words even in years that feel normal to everyone else. The chaos and darkness we all felt in 2020 are constants for the thousands of moms, dads, siblings and kids experiencing the brutal unfairness of cancer.

 

This summer, we once again got the chance to let families throw these words out the window; to replace them with feelings of rest, rejuvenation, connection and peace that follow families home from their week at the beach and give them hope throughout the year.

 

In its own way, summer 2021 was unprecedented, too. We felt unprecedented support from everyone who rose to the challenge of making retreats happen! Through the generosity of people like you, we made a much-needed return to the beach and got back to why we started this whole thing 20 years ago: to strengthen every family living through childhood cancer.

 

Trust me... We couldn’t have done it without you. Here’s to 20 more!