Renewal Coalition 40th Retreat Day 1
Good Evening,
We just wanted to send out a note to let you all know that the 40th Renewal Coalition retreat began today and is off to a great start. We had 5 couples fly and drive in from around the country (Oklahoma, Washington and Florida). They were all blessed with safe travels and there were no flight delays, which was fantastic. Thanks so much to Terri Futch for helping with airport transportation. Tonight we enjoyed a delicious meal prepared by Linda Grevera and the ladies of the American Legion Auxiliary Unit #65. The guests were raving over the ham and chicken in addition to the great sides and desserts. Thank you ladies for welcoming our guests with excellent service and food on their first night. Thank you to Al Demott and the Fore Family for all of the great food you dropped off for the weekend and to Pat for your awesome baked goods. Patti Fitzgerald was a wonderful Host Committee lead and Sasha was once again a tremendous volunteer for the evening.
Tomorrow we are praying for clear skies and lots of sunshine so that the guests can enjoy golfing at Jonathan’s landing as well as boating on the Loxahatchee. We will keep you updated on the days events and look forward to sharing great stories from the trip with you. To everyone that has been involved with making this retreat possible, we sincerely thank you and hope you know that you are VERY appreciated!
Katie Jones
Managing Director
Renewal Coalition
Renewal Coalition 40th Retreat Day 2
Today turned out to be an absolutely beautiful day and the guests were able to enjoy all of the planned activities. We started off the morning with a delicious breakfast from the Eagles and Jim Kamen. Following that, a few couples headed off to golf at Jonathan’s Landing with Bob Schaefer and the other couples went boating with Al Demott, Steve and Rick. Thank you all for being such great activity hosts! The rest of the afternoon was spent relaxing, fishing off the docks, and enjoying the sunshine before the group headed down to Jona DeSimone’s for a fantastic Italian dinner. Thanks so much to all of the volunteers who came to help out and especially to Jona for being such a great host. The guests enjoyed relaxing in the pool & hot tub, enjoying conversation, watching the storm from the porch, playing pool and watching college football on the big screen TV.
Tomorrow will be another great day as some of the couples head out deep sea fishing on the Black Dog and others hang back to relax on property. Thanks again to everyone who was involved with making today possible for our guests to enjoy!
Katie Jones
Managing Director
Renewal Coalition
Renewal Coalition 40th Retreat Day 3
We had another wonderful day today during our Renewal Coalition retreat. The morning was started with a deluxe brunch served by the Saint Patrick Catholic Church Veteran’s Ministry. The chefs came out early to set up and spent hours making delicious pancakes, eggs, and bacon in addition to the fruit, donuts, pastries, bagels and other assortment of items that they provided. Once the guests were filled up with lots of good food and conversation, they began their activities for the day. We had 5 guests go out deep sea fishing on the Black Dog where they caught lots of fish and only hit a little bit of the storm. A few of the wives had the opportunity to visit the Gardens Mall for the afternoon and enjoyed browsing the exciting shops. After a relaxing afternoon, the guests were treated to another fantastic meal provided by Carole Prosuh and the L/Cpl. Justin J. Wilson Auxiliary and Marine Corps League. There were hamburgers, hotdogs, roast loin of pork, lots of side dishes and of course a huge spread of dessert including ice cream sundaes. Thanks so much to all of our wonderful meal hosts and volunteers who came out to continue treating our Veterans and their spouses like royalty. Tonight time was spent reminiscing on the porch, fishing, and enjoying the new friendships that have been made.
Tomorrow we will be off to more adventures as the ladies are treated to new hairdos at DK Salon followed by manicures and pedicures. The men will be hanging out for the afternoon enjoying the kayaks and paddle boards and other activities. Tomorrow night our guests will be treated to an incredible date night where they will have the opportunity to dress up and enjoy a night out.
We hope that you know just how much we appreciate each and every one of you for helping to make these retreats possible for our special Veterans and their spouses. The stories shared and the memories made here at the retreats provide these couples with a new feeling of happiness and renewal. It is an honor to have the opportunity to meet these amazing families and we thank you all for the contributions that you make which allow us to do what we do.
Katie Jones
Managing Director
Renewal Coalition
Renewal Coalition 40th Retreat Day 4
Good Evening,
Our service members and their wives left early this morning. They were all extremely impressed with how caring our community is. They told us that there is nothing like Renewal Coalition in the areas they are from. I would like to thank everyone who volunteered their time and resources to make our guests feel comfortable and appreciated. Also, I would like to thank everyone personally for the great amount of help you provided.
This was my first Retreat back after my health issues over the past 6 months. It would have been impossible to have participated at the level necessary if not for the help of our volunteers. Our organization is so blessed to have the Team that always makes things run smoothly and always finds more ways to entertain and care for our service members and their families. To our Team: Katie, Emilio, Steven, Tom, Maria and Rheanna; there are not enough words to thank you for all you do!
Our next Retreat will be October 9-13. We will be providing more information as we move closer to the event.
Mary Hinton