Winter Weekend 2025 Recap

Special Love hosted a record-breaking 61 families at this year’s Winter Family Weekend! Over 250 rosy faces braved cold temperatures and nearly two feet of snowfall at Canaan Valley Resort in Davis, WV, for a long weekend filled with friends, family, and fun.


Families trickled into the resort Friday evening where we welcomed them to the lodge. Following check-in, we invited our guests to a casual orientation before encouraging all to get a good night’s rest.

Saturday morning, both veteran and beginner skiers and snowboarders hit the slopes! From open to close, Special Love scarves and armbands were spotted all over the mountain. We also offered snow tubing as an option to our guests, which proved to be a hit with all ages.

For those who preferred to admire the scenery indoors, we hosted a morning arts and crafts session. Little artists dabbled in watercolor projects fit for a gallery, leaving with (washable) paint-covered fingers and big, bright smiles. Our afternoon lodge-side activities included games, coloring, bracelet making, and casual movie viewing.

An impromptu fireworks display, courtesy of Canaan Valley, kicked off our Saturday night bingo. Families filled the room, paying close attention to their cards. Some of our older teens volunteered to call bingo, and lucky winners picked out their prizes. Like the fireworks, the crowd’s energy was explosive!

Thanks to Mother Nature, we got a fresh coating of snow Sunday morning, making for perfect skiing conditions. Many families resumed their slope-side activities while others joined us for another craft session, coloring, and games.

As we closed out Sunday’s dinner, guests were ushered out of the banquet hall as Special Love team members and volunteers transformed the room into our very own movie theater for a movie night. Our eager young viewers lined up patiently outside the doors before flooding in to watch The Garfield Movie. The showing filled the room with a whole lot of laughter and a little bit of heart. Some viewers even reported that a few tears were shed from the movie’s heartwarming moments.

 

Sunday’s success yielded a good night’s rest for all in attendance. On Monday morning, our families joined us one last time for breakfast and closing remarks. Friends new and returning exchanged goodbye hugs and well-wishes before embarking on the ride home.

 

A huge “thank you” to the staff at Canaan Valley Resort for helping us throw yet another successful Winter Family Weekend! We couldn’t have done it without the help of their staff, and we’re so grateful for their partnership. We’d also like to thank all of our Special Love team members and volunteers for coming out to ensure the weekend went smoothly, as well as our supporters; thanks to their generosity, we were able to host our most well-attended Winter Family Weekend to date. Most importantly, thank you to each of our families who braved the cold, snowy weather for a weekend of adventure!