Barren Heights

Barren Heights provides free respite, encouragement, and enrichment opportunities to families of children with disabilities through volunteer-driven weekend retreats and community events. 

OUR MISSION

Our Mission is to love and encourage families. We do this primarily by providing free weekend retreats and community outreach events for families who have children with intellectual or developmental disabilities.

OUR VISION

Our Vision is to create more compassionate communities through families serving families with the love of Christ, led by the Holy Spirit, in order to further the Kingdom of God.

OUR IMPACT

Over 54 million families in the United States are affected by disabilities.

As one of the most overlooked groups of people, there are very few places where these families feel loved, accepted, welcomed, and safe. Since our first retreat in 2004, we have hosted over 300 family retreats impacting over 1,850 families and 7,000 individuals from 23 states. In 2005, we began with nine retreats and have grown to 20 a year. Beyond the numbers, our impact is primarily seen in the individual life transformation and growth for each of our guests. We have realized a great degree of success by meeting people right where they are. Families are coming to us in search of encouragement and rejuvenation and, in turn, are encountering the community of Christ like never before. As a volunteer-driven organization, we have engaged over 425 volunteer families to join in our mission of loving and serving families of children with disabilities by serving together.

Your financial support helps us create more compassionate communities where families of children with disabilities feel loved, accepted, welcomed, and safe. Thank you for supporting us so we can continue serving others!

Learn about our Community Center & Event Programming.

Learn about our Family Retreats.

Learn about "The Lodge"—our future multipurpose building & volunteer quarters coming in 2024!

Who We Are

Did you know there are 54 million families affected by disabilities in the United States? Our mission is to love and encourage these families. We do this primarily by providing free weekend retreats and hosting community outreach events in Louisville, Kentucky for families who have children with physical or developmental disabilities. We are unique because we are structured by a families serving families model: Volunteer families serving Guest families. This helps us fulfill our vision - to continue to create more compassionate communities, one family, one smile, one story at a time!