Earlier this month Outer Banks Boil Company’s newly formed charity Our EPIC Project, hosted it’s first EPIC Family Vacation retreat here in Corolla. As strong supporters of both mental health and the value of taking a family vacation, Our EPIC Project reached out to Boil Company friends, supporters and customers to find a deserving family who could use a good old fashioned summer beach vacation as a way to cope, heal and forget about negative events that may have impacted them.
Over 40 entries later and quite a few tears, a recipient was chosen. Meet The Demetrakis Family. Kasey, an executive chef, Mike, a police dispatcher, and their three boys Dominick 8, Parker 6 and Bennet 4. In addition to a host of close family losses over the past few years, last September Kasey was diagnosed with Stage 4 Triple Negative Metastatic Infiltrating Ductal Carcinoma Grade 3. You can read their entire story here.
Needless to say, Our EPIC Project was all in on making sure this family got to experience a week of memories to last a lifetime while relaxing and enjoying time well spent, free of cancer treatments, looming medical bills and worries and stress of such a serious diagnosis.
With the help of our customers, friends and local business community, Our Epic Project was able to accomplish its mission of giving the Demetrakis Family a week of true rest, relaxation and fun here in the Outer Banks. Starting with a one week beach rental in the Corolla Light Resort, Outer Banks Boil Company and Our Epic Project worked with partners in the community to provide daily beach set ups, a wild horse tour, a day at the waterpark, a pontoon rental, fantastic meals and even a vow renewal service for Mike and Kasey, who are celebrating 10 years of marriage.
As you can see, it was a week full of smiles -
We hoped we'd set the right tone for the Demetrakis Vacation, and we couldn't be more thrilled by Kasey's endorsement:
“Thank you for everything! You truly gave us a week to relax and ignore the reality of what cancer is doing to our family. You brought so many smiles to my babies faces, so much relaxing for my husband who doesn’t know how, memories that will last a lifetime, a sunset that can never be topped from Parker’s Ridge, a boat ride that gave everyone an enjoyable day of relaxation and so many moments of therapy for our family that just brings us closer! You will forever be a part of our family! You are stuck with us and I want to help with the foundation with whatever I can! You’ve changed our lives with a week at Corolla and the Demetrakis and McWilliams family will be forever grateful!” -Kasey Demetrakis, Epic Family Vacation Retreat Recipient
And, of course, we were honored to help!
“Our Boil Family gained some new additions this week! It was such a pleasure to host Kasey and her family. Knowing that we could lessen their burden and give them a week full of memories and relaxation, was actually a gift for us. To see the support from the local business community, our customers, and those who attended our first annual Golf Tournament, makes us realize what a special place we call home.” -Matt Khouri VP, Our Epic Project, Inc. and Founder, Outer Banks Boil Company
Our EPIC Project was founded as a way to formalize Outer Banks Boil Company's commitment to helping the communities they serve through its mission to Support, Strengthen and Share. With an underlying focus on mental health in all aspects, Our EPIC project will focus on supporting the entrepreneurial spirit within our community, strengthening community based mental health initiatives and sharing all our community has to offer by providing a one week retreat for a deserving family.
“The Acronym for EPIC, Emitting Positive Impact Collectively, allows us to expand our efforts and include our friends, family, business partners and community in our efforts to make a difference. Within the first year we have hosted our first Vacation Retreat Family, fostered our first OBX Entrepreneur, hosted our first community Mental Health First Aid Training program. I think we are off to a great start! Having the Boil Company with all its energy and passion behind us, a supportive community of business partners and friends and family there’s nothing we can’t accomplish! Doing good- feels good. Doing Good Together-Feels Great!” remarks Denise Khouri, President of Our EPIC Project.
If you'd like to join our efforts to give a little rest and relaxation to a deserving family very year, just click below to find out more and/or donate!