The Sandbox Weekend of Believing℠
Where Families Find Rest, Hope, and Each Other
Sometimes, what families need most isn’t another appointment. It isn’t another treatment.It isn’t another medical report. Sometimes, what they need most is a chance to simply breathe. To laugh! To reconnect!
To remember who they are beyond the diagnosis.
That is the heart behind The Sandbox Weekend of Believing℠.
Born from a Need to Be Together
During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, our Sandbox families were missing something that no virtual meeting could replace.
They were missing each other!
The messages kept coming.
“When can we be together again?”
“We miss our Sandbox family.”
“There has to be a way.”
We listened…
Rather than focusing on what couldn’t be done, we asked ourselves a different question:
“What if there is a way?”
Determined to safely reunite our families, we traveled to Hilton Head Island searching for a location that could host a retreat while following exceptional COVID safety protocols. After countless conversations, careful planning, and an incredible partnership with The Westin Hilton Head Island Resort & Spa, everything began to fall into place.
In December 2020, we loaded up our Corporate Chef, volunteers, supplies, activities, and most importantly, 125 members of The Sandbox family, and headed to Hilton Head for the very first Weekend of Believing.
What began as a response to isolation quickly became one of the most meaningful experiences in The Sandbox’s history.
More Than a Getaway
For one unforgettable weekend, diagnoses gave way to beach walks.
Treatment plans were replaced by campfires.
Stress gave way to laughter!
Families who had spent months apart embraced once again.
Children played without worrying about tomorrow’s appointment.
Parents finally were able to breathe.
Siblings found friends who understood what it felt like to love a brother or sister with complex medical needs, and families discovered something beautiful.
Hope isn’t just something you feel… It’s something you experience together.
A Weekend Designed for Families
Every detail of The Sandbox Weekend of Believing is intentionally created so families can leave the logistics behind and simply enjoy being together.
Families are welcomed into beautiful coastal accommodations where meals, activity, and experience is provided completely free of charge.
Children, teens, and young adults siblings, parents, and caregivers all have opportunities to laugh, play, rest, and reconnect.
Beach days.
Outdoor adventures.
Games.
Crafts.
Live entertainment.
Meaningful conversations.
Quiet moments by the ocean.
Every experience is designed with one purpose:
To replace stress with joy and isolation with connection.
Because Every Family Deserves to Be Seen
A Weekend of Believing isn’t simply about taking a vacation.
It’s about creating a space where every family feels understood.
Parents find fellowship with others who truly understand the emotional weight of caring for a medically complex child.
Children are celebrated for who they are, not defined by their diagnosis.
Siblings, who are so often the quiet heroes of the family, enjoy activities created just for them while discovering they are not alone in their journey.
Volunteers surround every family with encouragement, compassion, and genuine friendship.
There is no need to explain.
No need to pretend everything is okay.
Families are simply welcomed exactly as they are.
The Gift of Community
One of the greatest gifts of A Weekend of Believing is the relationships that begin there.
Families arrive as strangers.
They leave as lifelong friends.
Conversations that begin around dinner tables continue long after the weekend ends.
Phone numbers are exchanged.
Support systems are formed.
Parents gain people they can call when life feels overwhelming.
Honorees find friends who understand hospital stays, surgeries, medications, and treatments without needing an explanation.
The weekend may end, but the community continues.
A Place to Believe Again
Although A Weekend of Believing was created for a unique moment in history, its impact continues to shape The Sandbox today. It was exactly what our families needed during the isolation of COVID, reminding us all that hope grows stronger when we experience it together.
It is a weekend dedicated to believing.
Believing in hope.
Believing in healing.
Believing in each other.
Believing that brighter days are still ahead.
Most importantly, it reminds every family of one truth that has always been at the heart of The Sandbox:
You never walk this journey alone.
Every beach walk, shared meal, campfire conversation, child’s laughter, parent’s smile, new friendship, and memory created all points back to the same promise:
When families are surrounded by love, encouraged by community, and reminded that someone is walking beside them, hope grows stronger.
And sometimes, that changes everything!
