Family Retreat Is Katelyn’s Highlight of the Year

By Joni and Friends|Published On: June 5, 2026|Categories: Family Retreats|

Katelyn poses on stage with two women kneeling beside her, their arms wide open as they present her.

“She talks to her Jesus like He is sitting beside her.”

This is how Teresa describes listening to her daughter, Katelyn, pray.

Katelyn, the oldest of Ryan and Teresa’s three children, was born with a genetic disorder called Williams syndrome. The diagnosis thirty years ago, as Teresa recalls, rocked her family’s world, sending them on a journey of countless doctor visits, medical complications, and dying dreams for what Katelyn’s future would hold.

Even now, with Katelyn in adulthood, every day carries challenges for her family: exhaustion from caregiving demands, flares of Katelyn’s anxiety and digestive issues, and a scarcity of true community. This is why Family Retreat is exactly the place of welcome needed to refresh Katelyn’s family.

Family Retreat is the highlight of Katelyn’s year!

At Family Retreat, special needs families like Katelyn’s find rest, belonging, and joy in a fully accessible, Christ-centered environment that celebrates each person for who they are.

As Teresa says, “Family Retreat is a place for Katelyn to be herself! It is the highlight of her year.”

Katelyn stands on stage holding a microphone and looking toward the audience, with another person seated next to her on the stage.

And as Katelyn puts it, “Family Retreat is where I feel normal…”

A message of gratitude…

For Katelyn and her family, Family Retreat is not just a one-week slice of heaven packed with all-out fun. It is also a place to build friendships that last and faith that sustains them through the ups and downs of life with disability.

Four people stand outdoors, smiling while holding a colorful welcome sign that reads “WELCOME PETGEN FAMILY” with a heart-shaped graphic and the name Katelyn on it. Katelyn is waving.

In fact, what Teresa treasures most about Family Retreat is how Joni and Friends encourages Katelyn’s walk with Jesus, inviting her into experiences of community, faith, and joy—from Bible studies to dance parties!

As Teresa shares:

“We are so grateful for how you have impacted our lives! The friendships we have made and the spiritual refreshment we receive are so important! We want others to experience this for themselves and know there is a ministry that will walk with them through the journey of disability.”

Katelyn poses with a peace sign next to a woman, with other people in the background.

In Ohio, throughout the United States, and across the globe, Joni and Friends works toward our kingdom vision: a world where every person with a disability finds hope, dignity, and their place in the body of Christ!