The Wave
2022 SPRING BREAK RECAP
Meet the Callahan Family
After his diagnosis in 2019 with Stage 4 High Risk Brain Cancer, Declan and his family fought hard through a year of high-dose radiation and chemotherapy to get the "no evidence of disease" status. However, like many children in Declan's world, it didn't stop there. He has been left with cognitive delays, hormone issues, and many other imbalances in his little body and mind.
His family is living in a "constant state of unknown" and deals with the "difficulty of isolation" daily. But a week on a Lighthouse Retreat was a respite from their everyday lives and helped their family find a way to cope.
Abby Callahan, Declan's mom, said it best: "Seeing our kids finally be able to be just simply kids, was exactly what our hearts needed. Seeing my husband open up and hear from other dads just like himself, and hearing from moms drowning and coming out completely fresh - all brought hope to our family. The hope we never knew we so desperately needed."
READ MORE NOW ON THE PERSPECTIVES BLOG
One Week, Two Times the Fun
During the first week of April, we hosted 2 weeklong, seaside retreats full of rest and joy for families living through childhood cancer. Twenty-three families like the one above were served by 256 Family Partner volunteers on the Florida Panhandle. Parents received 8 hours of Common Ground time to connect with each other and other parents walking through similar life experiences, while kids has a blast playing together in Flip Flop and dancing the night away at the Unbirthday Party. We cannot wait for the summer season to begin in a few short weeks!
Lighthouse Lingo
Planning to join us in the sand this summer? Here are some terms you will hear on a Lighthouse retreat:
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RETREAT FAMILY | Families living through childhood cancer who we serving during a week away from the chaos of cancer to experience rest, joy, restoration, and hope.
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FAMILY PARTNER | Family Partners come alongside our Retreat Families to help ease the everyday burdens of childhood cancer, providing them an opportunity to rest, reconnect, experience joy, and find hope! Family Partner is not just a title, but an attitude of the heart, a posture of service as we come together to give families a sense of relief and a retreat away.
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COMMON GROUND | A unique and special time for the Retreat Family parents to connect over the common bond of living through childhood cancer. During Common Ground, the parents have an opportunity to share their story with people who are on “Common Ground” with them.
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FLIP FLOP | Every morning on retreat, your family will spend time traveling to different Flip Flop stations with the family you are serving to do crafts, swim, play games, and have fun all together! This happens while the parents attend Common Ground.
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UNBIRTHDAY PARTY | Wednesday night we get to celebrate birthdays for all the kids on retreat while the parents are gone for the night at Parent’s Night Out. We will sing, dance, eat ice cream and have LOTS of fun!
Welcome to the Team
Lighthouse’s reach and opportunities to strengthen families has continued to grow over the past three years, so it’s time for our team to grow, too! Over the next fews months, we plan to introduce new roles to our team and grow from 15 people to 20. New roles include Development Officer, Project Manager, Retreat Operations Coordinator, Partner Development Manger, and Part-time Admin. We look forward to introducing you to our new team members soon!
Expanding our Reach...
Beyond the Beach
To accomplish our mission to strengthen every family living through childhood cancer, we have created new programs in addition to our current 19 seaside retreats. Thanks to you, we are expanding Regional Retreat experiences and Care Programs into different communities across the country with the goal of helping families establish a support system in their hometown.
REGIONAL RETREATS
WEEKEND RETREATS
This fall, Lighthouse is headed out of the sand to the
mountains for Weekend Retreats in both Colorado and North Carolina. Registration for Retreat Families is now open and more information can be found here.
ONE DAY RETREATS
Thanks to outstanding church partnerships, we will be hosting two One Day Retreats this fall. More information about locations and registration coming soon.
CARE PROGRAMS
HOSPITAL CARE
COMMUNITY OF CARE
Our Hospital Care program provides monthly meals and care packages to pediatric hospitals across the U.S. for families receiving treatment for childhood cancer. We partner with local churches and restaurants to provide a warm meal and resources to remind families they are loved and remembered. We also provide these resources for the nurses and social workers providing daily care to the families.
Our Community of Care program is designed to offer ongoing support to families living through childhood cancer in their own community. We mobilize volunteers in local communities to walk with families through a season of their cancer journey. This is accomplished through Care Teams who provide meals, care packages, encouragement, and weekly check-ins to support each family. More information coming soon.
Thanks to YOU
GOLD PARTY
This event will be one you do not want to miss! Make it a date night, a night out with friends, or invite family and friends that supported your Lighthouse trip! This event will take place in both Alpharetta, GA and Miramar Beach, FL. More information coming soon!
LIGHTHOUSE KEEPERS
Our Lighthouse Keepers are those who choose to financially commit to Lighthouse with a monthly gift. Their monthly gift is used to support the operational needs of Lighthouse so that every general public donation and volunteer support donation goes directly to retreats and strengthening families. Learn more now!
CORPORATE ENGAGEMENT
We believe restoration happens through service for both the giver and receiver, and we work with businesses and organizations to customize partnership opportunities to engage their staff in service. Learn more now!
AMAZON WISHLIST
Help stock our warehouse! Your generosity will create environments where families can experience rest, joy, restoration, and hope. All items purchased from the Amazon Wishlist at the link below are sent directly to our warehouse in Florida. Shop our wishlist now!
Join Us in the Sand
The 2022 Retreat Season is quickly approaching - and we cannot do it without you! Serve at a 2022 Retreat with family, friends, or a church or school group. Learn more about what it looks like to serve and register here.