“What’s in it for me?” is the motto of the modern life style. But there are exceptional people that live by a different motto, “What can I do to help others, especially adults with special needs?” 

Darlene Schoenfelder has a passion for travel, as did her brother, who was developmentally challenged.  She never saw his developmentally challenged friends travel and wondered why.  To her the answer was obvious; no one was willing to invest the time and forward funding needed to accomplish this enormous undertaking. 

In 2001, her life changed dramatically when she accepted the challenge to create a “dream vacation” for her brother, Buddy (1940-2011).  Cerebral Palsy didn’t stop his quest to travel; his dream to return to Disney World with five developmentally challenged friends came true through Darlene’s passion to make it happen. 

People of all abilities love to travel; to visit places they have only dreamed of. But for this group, there were many obstacles to overcome.  She discovered their lack of funds, and caregivers who can go but can't pay, were the two largest obstacles.  To make Buddy’s dream come true, she planned the entire vacation, paid the deposits and final payments for everyone by using her own money.

In 2002 she booked a cruise, and again, paid the entire amount. To raise funds, Darlene saved toilet paper rolls, covered them with Christmas paper, stuffed them with candy, wrapped them with holographic foil, tied the ends with tinsel and sold for $1.00 This time consuming effort yielded $300.

Darlene’s passion has taken the developmentally challenged around the globe; Disney, Nashville, Hawaii, Mexican Rivera, Eastern Caribbean, Southern Caribbean, Western Caribbean and the Bahamas. Each year her credit card exceeds $17,000 to pay for the sixteen developmentally challenged adults and five caregivers.  She often transfers money from savings and prays she will be able to return all that she has borrowed.   

Why does Darlene sacrifice so much?

“I love what I do.  It brings joy to my soul when they tell me how much fun they have.  It gives them the opportunity to leave their home, meet new people, participate in activities, eat healthy and be entertained by various media and performers.”

Does she ever think about giving up the planning, execution and prepaying for this annual vacation for sixteen developmentally challenged adults?

“Never, because I believe there will be no one else, although I hope there is, to accept this daunting task and I can't disappoint those I serve. I would love to serve more, but I need funding from other sources, which is always in my prayers.  I pray for God to give me the strength to continue and eventually find a person to replace me if I can no longer perform this task.”

Darlene’s passion for travel and the developmentally challenged turned “vacations only dreamed of” into “incredible vacations experienced.” Determined that nothing can prevent her passion to see developmentally challenged adults traveling, she is already planning next year's vacation not knowing whether she will be reimbursed.