Karen Wellington Foundation
Recipient PageFUNdsGet InvolvedGiving In Action
Community
Our Staff
Partners
Recipient
Ambassadors
Chapters
Board Of
Directors
Medical
Advisory
Board
ShopEventsAbout
NominateDonate

If this vacation home could talk...

May 13, 2024

I am a quaint cabin that sits on Norris Lake in Tennessee. Made of wood, my rustic architecture stands tall overlooking the clear waters that gently crash into the dock. Boats cruise by, children bounce up and down on tubes as their giggles echo across the lake, and bonfires light up the night. I offer a relaxing getaway for families of young and old; grandparents, parents, aunts, uncles, teenagers, and toddlers have stayed within these walls.

​I can recall one family in particular that left a specific mark, and I’m not just talking about the wet footprints from the four children. This family brought an energy into these walls that had not been present before. Upon arrival, the boys skipped through the front door with excitement and ran into every room with “Oohs” and Aahs” trailing behind them as they peered out each window at the lake. The daughter walked straight to the dock to stick her feet in the water, capturing the view with her phone. The mom swung a bag over her shoulder, as her blue eyes beamed with excitement. “LIVING” in pink letters stretched across the front. Seemed fitting. Unlike their children, the parents stepped foot inside my doors and just stood for a moment in stillness. Their eyes roamed around my walls until they met each other’s gaze. They exhaled. As peaceful smiles crossed their faces, I could sense they had been waiting for me.

Each morning, the boys rolled out of their bunkbeds and scampered down to the dock as their dad followed closely behind them. The mom and daughter would stay behind to chat over coffee on the screened-in porch, laughing at the entertainment below them on the lake. There was not a single dull moment with this family. I watched them participate in countless cannonball competitions, eat copious amounts of s’mores as they huddled around the bonfire, and have long conversations as the sun set on the lake.

The conversations that this family had were my favorite. They talked about the past, the present, and the future with a lens of gratitude and hope, thanking the Karen Wellington Foundation and my generous owner for making their special trip possible. They discussed the true meaning of the word LIVING, just as the mom’s tote bag had indicated. This Karen Wellington Foundation recipient family brought a new sense of LIVING into every room of mine.

On the last morning of their stay on Norris Lake, the mom tiptoed out to the dock as her children were still sound asleep. With a journal and pen in hand, she sat with her toes in the water and began to write letters to each of her four children under the rising sun. In these letters, she detailed the love that she had for them and the joy that this trip had brought to her heart. ​What an honor it is to be the place where LIVING became more than just a word for this family.

Ashley Fasola, Scripps Howard Communications Intern
11/28/2023
10/6/2023
6/5/2023
4/1/2023
3/9/2023
2/6/2023
1/9/2023
12/2/2022
11/1/2022
10/3/2022
9/5/2022
8/2/2022
7/5/2022
6/5/2022
5/2/2022
Apr 4, 2022
Feb 25, 2022
Jan 31, 2022
Jan 12, 2022
Dec 6, 2021
Nov 1, 2021
Sep 30, 2021
Sept 13, 2021
Aug 21, 2021
Jul 2, 2021
May 31, 2021
April 5, 2021
Mar 1, 2021
Feb 1, 2021
Jan 4, 2021
Nov 30, 2020
Nov 4, 2020
Oct 5, 2020
Aug 27, 2020
Jul 31, 2020
Jul 8, 2020
May 4, 2020
May 26, 2020
Apr 1, 2020
Mar 18, 2020
National Headquarters

3825 Edwards Road #103
Cincinnati, OH 45209

(513) 201-7154

Sign-up for our newsletter
Sign-Up
Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.

Home

About

Team

Events

Shop

Giving In Action

Get Involved

FAQ

from the blog

2023 Form 990

Annual Report

©2022 Karen Wellington Foundation, Inc. All rights reserved.