"We had just made coffee and grabbed a few donuts. We headed to the upper deck to take in the view one last time before we left our beautiful vacation spot on Seacrest Beach, Florida. I was standing there, taking in the wonderful clean salt air. The waves were crashing in and as I shared this moment with my best friend, I was overwhelmed. The tears came like a welcomed relief. I was crying, not because I was sad, but from a complete love and gratitude for what the Karen Wellington Foundation had done for me. They gave me rest, happiness, joy and a week of forgetting about a stage 4 metastatic breast cancer.
This vacation literally filled me up!
From that moment on, I committed to give more and to have more fun. Up until that point in my life I had been living to work. I came home with the intentions of working on LIVING. I started making time for me and my happiness, not just paying my bills.
So I now I enjoy every day! I take the trips, enjoy time with my family and friends, volunteer to help others, do what fulfills me!
I can't thank the generous homeowners, the people that donate and the team at the Karen Wellington Foundation enough."
Christy Runions,
2017 Vacation Recipient &
KWF
Volunteer
The testimonial above is representative. It's also a reminder of why we so passionately care about our #FunNOW mission at the Karen Wellington Foundation for LIVING with Breast Cancer.
It is about LIVING and grabbing those moments when you can.
Karen's Foundation was created in 2007 when Karen Wellington, a young wife and mother of two passed away from breast cancer at age 40. Karen squeezed every ounce of life she could during her 10-year battle with cancer. Friends came along side her family to provide a much needed break from cancer by gifting a week of their vacation homes. These are some of the best memories her family has of their time together. It sure beats memories of the hardship cancer brings.
In those years, she showed her family, friends and community how to LIVE.
Read More About Karen HERE. Read Karen's Obituary HERE.
Today, Karen's Foundation is about thousands of other Karens
out there
are not done LIVING yet just because they too are living with cancer. Karen's still-growing friend group continues her spirit of FUN and LIVING through KWF! Now in our 11th year, we have given over 450 vacations, 200 spa days and countless other gifts of FUN. We call it #FunNOW because NOW is a great time for our special families to LIVE life to the fullest
This year, we set our goal high and have already exceeded it. We will give over 100 vacations and 75 spa days and 30 other gifts of FUN by the end of 2018.
But we need your help as we have experienced a spike in late-stage nominations. Approximately 30% of our vacations are "last" vacations. So we move with a sense of hope, purpose AND urgency.
Will You Help Us?
We need to raise an additional $58,000 to help us finish the year strong and get those important gifts of FUN in.
Thank you so much!
- Your Friends & Partners at KWF
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