There are three properties in Ocean City, MD and Fenwick Island, DE that have a deeper significance—their purpose is respite.  Their walls envelop families in comfort, provide escape from the realities of the everyday, and offer a destination devoid of doctors, medications and treatments.  These homes away from home are the Children’s House by the Sea properties, part of the Believe in Tomorrow National Children’s Foundation, a non-profit organization providing housing to families with critically ill children.

Believe in Tomorrow’s core belief centers around the positive impact of keeping families together during the crisis of life-threatening illness.  To achieve this, the organization provides housing for families during medical treatments, and respite housing in vacation areas, free of charge.   To continue their mission, Believe in Tomorrow holds a series of events, two of which are on the horizon, locally.

The first is a 5k run/walk on Sunday September 25th at the Bayside Community in Fenwick Island, starting at 9am.  Participants can register the day of—fee is $30.  New this year is a Centipede Division.  5 to 15 team members are linked together, (at a safe distance of four feet apart).  They complete the race as a unit—costumes are encouraged.  Following the race is an awards ceremony and party at the Bayside Community.

On Monday September 26th from 5-10 pm, Believe in Tomorrow is hosting their annual Beach Bash at Seacrets to benefit the Children’s House by the Sea.  The evening features a dine-around with cuisine from some of the areas most heralded restaurants, a silent auction, entertainment, and a chance to win a $10,000 raffle.  Tickets are $50, or $55 at the door.  Additionally, a $100 ticket can be purchased that gains entry to the event, and a chance to win the raffle.  These tickers are limited to 225, and can be purchased at The Children’s House by the Sea on 66th St., or by calling 410.723.2842.

The monies raised from the events go towards the respite program, which offers families of critically ill children—who normally spend much of their time at doctors offices and in hospital rooms, the opportunity to bond with their family members and enjoy life again.  The funds are used to upkeep the properties, provide family beach bar-b-ques, and other enjoyable activities, free of charge.

It’s difficult to truly imagine what these families endure—the worst-case scenario of  having a severely ill child.  It’s heart wrenching, and forever changes the sense of normalcy .  The importance of Believe in Tomorrow, and what they provide to these families cannot be overstated. Since 1986, Believe in Tomorrow has provided over 100,000 individual overnight accommodations to families seeking respite on the coast. The impact the Children’s House by the Sea has on the families who stay here, is simply profound.

Personal experience is often the best window into a world unfathomable to most.  One mother wrote, in a letter of thanks to Believe in Tomorrow, conveying her family’s experience at the Children’s House By the Sea.  Her words are printed below…

“When we opened the door of this unit, #2 in the Children’s House By the Sea…you could smell the peace, you could touch the peace, you could embrace the moment.

For once in two years, I closed the door to a room of my own, and I let the contained tears flow freely.  My boys were safe in a room of their own, with nightlights that made them not fear the darkness.  This was a safe harbor, not a retreat, but a respite for my soul.

I saw my son turn into a pirate,  a fisherman, a golfer, a sea boat “captain”…but most of all, I’ve seen him surf.

My son does not swim, not even float.  Yet I saw his silhouette against the blue sky on a blue surfboard over the waves…and it was real.  Who could have told me a year ago in a hospital room where my son was struggling for his life…that I would see him surfing?

Believe in Tomorrow?  I’d better start saying that I cannot even believe in this week of a piece of heaven on earth, where I’ve seen my son living, and my thoughts of  death have become quieter, and the waves of life entice me to press on.”

These statements are beautiful, a declaration of what one-week in Ocean City at the Children’s House by the Sea, truly means to families of critically ill children.  It’s more than a vacation, it’s a chance to regroup, to love each other without the ever-present fear looming, and to heal through the restorative powers of the ocean.

Find more on Believe in Tomorrow and the 5k Run/Walk here