As the Karen Welling Foundation approaches its 16th year, its team has been reflecting on why they embarked on this mission in the first place.
Karen Wellington boldly said that when she beat breast cancer, she’d like to take a vacation with her family each year and, in return, send another family LIVING with cancer on a trip as well. The day Karen passed away in July of 2007, her family and friends started that little dream which eventually became the Karen Wellington Foundation.
That very first year, KWF gave away just one vacation to a deserving family. But the good news quickly spread from Cincinnati to cities nationwide, where chapters were formed, and communities came together to ensure that they, too, were able to give to deserving women LIVING with cancer. Givers near and far ultimately helped KWF reach a milestone in 2021 - KWF’s 1,000th gift of FUN!
Now, just a little over two years later, KWF is poised to give away its 2,000th gift of FUN this spring!
This is a testament to the overwhelming generosity of friends and happy strangers who have put the rapid pace of life aside to help recipients and their loved ones.
The sky’s the limit for KWF in 2023 as it works to cultivate the vision of getting FUN on the calendars of ALL women and families LIVING with breast cancer!
Can you help The Karen Wellington Foundation put the gift of FUN on a woman with cancer’s calendar? To nominate or donate, visit karenwellingtonfoundation.org.
THANK YOU KW!
I must pause and thank KWF for nearly two weeks of ultimate bliss in Maui. The foundation aims to put FUN back on the calendars of women battling breast cancer, and FUN was had.
We saw the sunrise at Haleakala, biked down the volcano, drove the road to Hana, where we saw scenes from Jurassic Park, swam at the base of a waterfall, visited black sand beaches and hiked multiple miles. We never had a bad meal, ate countless shaved ice and had time to reconnect without interruptions (work, doctors’ appointments or 4-year-olds).
We found time to relax on a sailboat, on countless beaches and alongside the condo’s pool, where I tore through four books! We cannot thank KWF and Dr. Vic and Rita (the donors) enough for making this trip a reality. We are forever grateful. – Lauren M.
Dreaming of ocean waves and palm trees today. We had the most wonderful family trip to Naples, Florida, thanks to the incredible generosity of the amazing KWF. The entire trip was funded by generous donors who wanted to gift our family an opportunity for FUN in the midst of breast cancer. Our gratitude is overflowing.
It’s rare to have a whole week of time together that is free of appointments, and we took full advantage! We visited the beach (Hope’s first time in the ocean!), toured the winter homes of Thomas Edison and Henry Ford (we’re history nerds), did lots of swimming and took Lucy to her first Chuck-E-Cheese experience. We lived it up!
Thank you, KWF, for the absolutely amazing gift. We are humbled beyond belief. – Mandy G.
Our trip was WONDERFUL. Joe’s house was incredible — a short drive to the beach, a perfect bike riding area, and the driveway made a great spot for many games of cornhole. My mom still randomly says, “I miss the Kiawah shower!”
The trip was just what we needed to regroup after treatment and before surgery. From the beach to the house, it was perfect. We played Uno or Sorry every evening, often ending up in tears from laughing so hard. We had photos taken and loved how they turned out. A good way to commemorate the trip. Thank you again for the trip and all the work you put into it! – Amy S.
The girls and I had a ball! Everything could not have gone any smoother. I want to thank The Karen Wellington Foundation and all your wonderful sponsors for providing me with that awesome time of “normalcy” with my family. What you all do is more than “a day of FUN.” It felt more like a jumpstart to being ok with being ok.
Loving up on my daughters while screaming and cheering for LeBron James is my idea of a perfect time. I look forward to paying this blessing forward in any way I can. Thank you and the other wonderful ladies directly involved with taking the time to get my day together and deliver it to me. God bless! – Ronnie Y.