R[4] Retreat Center was founded in 2015 out of a mother’s personal journey and a longing to meet a critical need: families raising children and adults with disabilities are often exhausted, isolated, and without a safe place to simply rest. Our mission is to create spaces of rest, renewal, restoration, and rapha (healing) where every family member—caregivers, siblings, and individuals with disabilities—feels seen, valued, and supported.
Since our founding, we have served more than 200 families through day retreats, enrichment events, caregiver lunches, and inclusive worship gatherings across North Texas. These programs provide respite, community, and hope for families navigating the relentless demands of daily life with disabilities.
But our vision has grown far beyond short-term retreats. We believe families deserve lifelong support—from the early days of diagnosis through adulthood. That’s why our work is anchored in the Four Pillars of R[4], which guide both our current programs and our long-term vision:
1. REST – With Intention
Families need safe spaces to breathe deeply and reconnect. Through retreats and events, we offer caregivers a chance to exhale, siblings a chance to belong, and children with disabilities a chance to laugh and thrive.
Donor Impact: Your generosity gives weary families a lifeline today, while ensuring the gift of rest will continue for generations as we work toward a permanent campus.
“My kids had the best day, and I actually got to sit down and breathe. That may not sound like much — but for a special needs parent, it’s everything.” — R[4] Dad
2. RESTORE – Through Encouragement
Parents, siblings, and caregivers often feel forgotten. Our tailored programs—support groups, mom’s lunches, dad’s nights, and sibling gatherings—restore hope and strengthen bonds.
Donor Impact: Your giving pours courage back into weary hearts, reminding each family member they are seen, valued, and deeply loved.
“For the first time in years, I felt like someone understood what our life is like. I left retreat lighter, encouraged, and not so alone.” — R[4] Mom
3. RENEW – By Inspiring Purpose
We believe every person is created with purpose. Through future initiatives like The Oasis Greenhouse and Arts & Learning Center, we will provide education, creativity, and meaningful work for teens and adults with disabilities.
Donor Impact: Your support ignites fresh joy and purpose, inspiring entire families to live into their God-given calling with confidence
“This retreat gave our family hope again. My kids can’t wait to come back, and neither can I.” — R[4] Family
4. RAPHA (Healing) – Empowering for the Future
True healing means more than respite—it means dignity, stability, and belonging. Our vision includes an inclusive housing community with retail shops, gathering spaces, and access to trusted professionals, ensuring long-term care for adults with disabilities.
Donor Impact: Your investment plants seeds of lasting healing, giving adults the chance to flourish while giving families peace of mind that their loved ones will always have a safe, thriving home.
Why It Matters
Families raising children and adults with disabilities are among the most underserved in our communities. They face higher rates of depression, anxiety, financial strain, and marital stress, yet often lack access to affordable respite or long-term resources. Without support, many caregivers burn out, siblings struggle in silence, and families feel isolated and unseen.
R[4] is changing that story. We walk with families across Dallas, Tarrant, Collin, Rockwall, Ellis, and Kaufman Counties—meeting them where they are, breaking down barriers of cost and accessibility, and creating a supportive community that endures.
Our Future Vision
In 2026, we will host four Family Retreats across North Texas, serving more than 150 families with programs rooted in our Four Pillars. As we expand staff capacity and donor support, we are also laying the foundation for our ultimate vision: a permanent retreat campus and holistic community that offers lifelong support—retreats, housing, dayhab, job training, employment, and inclusive community life.
We dream of a day when no family feels alone, when every caregiver knows rest, and when every person with disabilities has a place to flourish with dignity. Together, with your support, we are making that dream a reality.
Our Mission: R[4] Retreat Center is a Bible based organization that creates unique retreat opportunities to encourage, inspire and empower persons with special needs, their parents/caregivers and their families.
Our Vision
For nearly a decade, we have listened closely to families raising children and adults with disabilities — families who are too often unseen, misunderstood, and left without the support they desperately need. Out of their stories, our vision has grown beyond retreats and respite to something much greater: a community of care that walks with families for a lifetime.
We dream of a residential village where families know their loved ones will be safe and cherished, an adult dayhab and training center where abilities are celebrated, and meaningful employment opportunities that bring dignity and purpose. From childhood through adulthood, our goal is to serve families holistically — through retreats, ongoing support, inclusive events, housing, care, job skills training, and employment.
By building trust through years of shared experiences, we want families to feel an unshakable peace when the time comes to transition their child into adult services. They will already know us. We will already know their son or daughter. And together, we will create a smooth, loving, and hope-filled path into adulthood — one where families never feel abandoned, and individuals with disabilities thrive in a community that truly gets it.
Our Immediate Need: A Media Services Coordinator
Behind every retreat is a story — a mom who finally breathes, a dad who feels understood, a sibling who discovers they’re not alone, a child who experiences joy without limits. These stories are the heartbeat of R[4] Retreat Center. But too often, they go untold.
Right now, our CEO is carrying the weight of leading the organization, planning retreats, raising funds, and managing communications while still working a full time job outside of R4. That means social media, website updates, newsletters, email communications and outreach to families and donors happen only when there’s leftover time — and families who need rest & retreat may never hear about us.
To move R[4] to the next level of community engagement, we need a part-time Media Services Coordinator. This role will:
• Share family stories that inspire hope and grow awareness.
• Keep our website and social media active so families know where to turn.
• Create outreach that reaches underserved communities across North Texas.
• Capture photos and videos that show donors the impact of their generosity.
This isn’t just about media — it’s about connection. Without this role, families may never find us. With it, hundreds more will discover retreats that bring healing, community, and joy.
That’s why on this North Texas Giving Day, we’re inviting you to join the R4 Sustainers Circle. Our goal is simple: 50 people giving $50/month. Together, this will fully fund the Media Services Coordinator for one year and into the future, ensuring families find us when they need us most.
“I didn’t even know support like this existed until a friend told me. Finding R[4] changed everything for our family.” — R[4] Caregiver
R[4] Retreat Center welcomes families from every background, race, sexual orientation and religion.
View our current participation opportunities.
In-Person Volunteering
R4 Family Day Retreat Volunteers
Various Locations Around DFW
Organization name
R4 Retreat Center, Inc.
Causes
Intellectual, Developmental, and Physical Differences
Operating Budget
Less than $100,000
Counties Served
Collin, Dallas, Denton, Ellis, Hunt, Kaufman, Rockwall, Tarrant
BIPOC Leadership
Executive Director/CEO
Address
7500 W Camp Wisdom Rd #84