Unique National Initiative Keeps Military Parents and Children Connected During Their Hardest Days
BALTIMORE, MD, UNITED STATES, January 13, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — The Believe In Tomorrow Children’s Foundation announced an expansion of its pioneering Believe In Tomorrow Military Initiative, a program that has quietly but profoundly supported thousands of U.S. military families since 2005. The initiative provides free and prioritized pediatric respite and hospital housing to military families navigating the medical crisis of a critically ill child, ensuring they remain connected, supported, and strong during periods of unimaginable stress.
For 20 years, the program has addressed a critical but often overlooked challenge: the intersection of military duty, family separation, and pediatric medical emergencies. When a child becomes critically ill, military parents may be deployed around the world or stationed far from extended family support systems. The Believe In Tomorrow Military Initiative ensures these families have access to specialized respite properties where they can stay together, rest, reconnect, and regain strength — at absolutely no cost.
“Our service members sacrifice so much for our nation. When their child is fighting for their life, they deserve a support system that honors that sacrifice,” said Brian Morrison, Founder of Believe In Tomorrow. “Since 2005, we’ve made it our mission to keep military families together during medical crises — this is a commitment we are deeply passionate about,” added Maryanne Davis, CEO of Believe In Tomorrow.
Since the program’s inception, Believe In Tomorrow has served several thousands of military families representing every branch of the U.S. armed forces. Military families receive priority placement throughout the foundation’s national network of pediatric respite and hospital housing facilities. These include peaceful respite locations along the beaches of Ocean City, Maryland, and Fenwick Island, Delaware, as well as mountain retreats near Asheville, North Carolina, and Deep Creek Lake, Maryland. Hospital housing is also available at the Believe In Tomorrow Children’s House at Johns Hopkins, a major national TRICARE medical center serving military families in Baltimore, Maryland.
Several Believe In Tomorrow properties — including The Children’s House By The Sea II, The Children’s House on the Bay, The Children’s House at Pinnacle Falls, and The Children’s House at Deep Creek Lake — are dedicated specifically to serving military families. The program’s emphasis on family reconnection provides peaceful, restorative environments where parents and children can heal together and rediscover moments of joy during a child’s medical journey. For families experiencing long deployments, frequent relocations, and prolonged separation, these properties offer something priceless: the opportunity to simply be together again.
“When you get the news that your daughter has cancer, it hits you like a Mack truck — sudden, unreal, and you’re left standing in a fog,” said Kathy, a U.S. Army service member and mother of a pediatric cancer patient. “We came to Believe In Tomorrow searching for a place to reconnect, and we found so much more. Cancer affects every member of the family, and this organization renews those bonds and reminds siblings they matter too. Here, you feel embraced by people who truly care — people who walk with you through the journey. It has been nothing short of phenomenal.”
While the Military Initiative has quietly delivered life-changing support for two decades, Believe In Tomorrow is now expanding its national outreach to meet growing demand. Planning is underway to add new respite locations in Florida and Tennessee, broadening access for military families across the country.
“We have the capacity and the commitment to grow,” said Davis. “What we need now is national visibility and support from Americans who believe, as we do, that military families should never face a child’s critical illness alone.”
Eligibility for Believe In Tomorrow’s respite and hospital housing programs is based on a child’s medical diagnosis. To qualify for the respite program, patients must be 17 years old or younger at the time of application and remain eligible through age 18. Eligible children must be undergoing active treatment for a critical illness, including cancer, organ transplant, or bone marrow transplant, with required monthly physician visits. Children remain eligible for one year following the completion of treatment or one year post-transplant. In recognition of their service, families with active-duty military parents receive priority scheduling across all Believe In Tomorrow facilities. Additional eligibility details are available on the foundation’s website.
Founded in 1982, the Believe In Tomorrow Children’s Foundation is a national leader in innovative, family-centered programs supporting critically ill children. The foundation’s respite and hospital housing programs are recognized for providing comfort, stability, and hope during pediatric medical crises. Since its inception, Believe In Tomorrow has provided more than one million overnight accommodations to eligible families.
Lauren Blake
Believe In Tomorrow Children’s Foundation
+1 443-472-1144
lblake@believeintomorrow.org
Legal Disclaimer:
EIN Presswire provides this news content “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability
for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this
article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.
