Some of you may know just one week before Ryland’s Wish Trip, we were invited by Indiana Children’s Wish Fund to attend a cost/stress-free trip to a secluded camp in Southern Indiana, operated by the Enis Furley Foundation. The non-profit organization was founded by Scott Rolen, former Major League Baseball 7-time All-Star and 8-time Gold Glove Winner.
The foundation’s mission is: To bring smiles to the faces of children and their families who are dealing with an illness, hardship, or other special needs.
And they certainly did that.
On our first night there, Scott explained to the 4 Indiana Wish families in attendance that weekend, that when he was playing for the Phillies, he would regularly go to local children’s hospitals to help whenever he could. Seeing the kids faces light up made him want to continue to help children and families beyond his baseball playing years. You can most definitely tell his heart is in it! He was so kind and his family was so welcoming and helpful. I feel so honored to have met and spent the weekend with them all! We had such an amazing time; we often talk about how we wish we could just repeat that weekend when times are rough. It truly made us forget about everything that was going on and we were able to let loose, have fun and relax!
Activities included a bounce house, hay rides to the petting zoo area, scavenger hunt at Tyler’s Treehouse, crafting, playing games, fishing, paddle boating, s’mores at the big campfire, movies (played on a big white screen outside), a basement full of fun toys, arcade games, a movie theater area and so much more! And the food…Mmmm.
The families, who all had their own personal cabin on the property, met up at the main lodge for breakfast, lunch, and dinner where we were served many yummy delicious foods! Scott’s mom came up from Florida for the weekend, along with other family memberes, to cook every meal, and let me just say it was not disappointing. 🐷 I would be full but couldn’t help but to keep eating every chance I had. The kids were always a priority when they made food they made sure to have an unlimited supply of chicken nuggets, which was great for our littles!
The purpose of this post is to get the word out there about this wonderful foundation and what they do for families and their children with unfortunate situations such as ours. Or if you get an invite and wonder what the trip will entail please, please look through the photos and read my blog with as much enthusiasm as possible!!!! It was such a wonderful time!
We were in the Reds cabin! This is who Scott Rolen played for last! He has 4 cabins built and all dedicated to each major league team he’s played for.
It was so beautiful and the view was just amazing!
The cabins all faced a man-made lake, so that’s what we got to see every morning! Talk about serenity.
On our final night there, we watched Rise of the Guardians. Great movie by the way. I’m pretty sure Scott’s wife and I were the only ones to watch it to the end, laughing the entire time like children, while the actual children were distracted away by all of the other fun things to do in the cabin.
Not sure where Gavin was at this point; he had made a lot of friends that weekend so I’m sure saying his goodbyes, while the rest of us wondered why the weekend went by so fast.
I want to personally thank Scott and Nikki Rolen, along with their children, and entire family. They treated us like family and gave us a weekend we’ll never forget. We need more people like them in the world.
Learn more about the Enis Furley Foundation & Camp Emma Lou: http://enisfurley.com/
Learn more about the Indiana Children’s Wish Fund: https://www.indianachildrenswishfund.org/