Every Father's Day weekend, we host one of our most important adventures of the year. For the last 7 years, we have spent the day before Father's Day with our Gold Star Families. This has given us a chance to soften the harshness that this weekend can bring to these families, who no longer get to spend it with their dads in physical form. We aim to provide a fun excuse for them to get together, be kids, connect with one another, and to create some fun memories together! Our Gold Star spouses get to spend the afternoon listening to their kids giggle across the field, while soaking up some much-needed time with their widsters. This event, each mom got to enjoy a field-side massage, while snacking on a spread of sun-kissed berry themed snacks. Mama Bear tumblers graced tables checkered with reds and whites, and treys of lush fruits, scones, s'mores cupcakes, and tea cakes scattered the landscape.

This year, we hosted it at Mission Hills High School and chose the hottest day of the year to do so. It added an extra element of competition, as each team had to endure not only cardio-centric games, but a level of heat intensity to up the competition! Luckily for us, all of our teams are extremely competitive and didn't let this handicap take away from their day together. We had 12 intense games that were admittedly a lot more active than we imagined. Our pairs pushed their limits, crushing the prior teams' personal records with each passing minute. We were lucky enough to have some new mentors on board with us this event, who got a taste the 'active' in Active Valor!

Waiting at each station was either an adrenaline pumping competition, an obstacle that required strategic planning to complete, nostalgic gaming, sports-themed maneuvers, or sheer precision skillsets. Mentors were challenging their mentees, mentees were equally rooting on their mentors. All were looking forward to the delicious cheeseburgers and fries waiting for them on the other side of competition.

The most memorable event was the ball challenge, that required every ounce of balance and strength in one's body. It was also the most entertaining to watch. We were amazed to see mentees sail across with spiderman-like ease, while their larger mentor counterparts muscled their way through it, gaining their team those precious points. There were summer prizes on the line, after all! The day ended with a very near win for Tristan and Nick, and Ivan and Cade. All participants, our amazing volunteers included, got to enjoy a hearty meal of sizzling cheeseburgers, fresh french fries, homemade potato salad, and crisp caesar salad from Copper Kings Burgers in San Marcos. They did an incredible job replenishing our teams, and giving them some much needed replenishing back!

As always, we would be remiss without thanking our incredible volunteers for their hard work setting up our event and ensuring it ran smoothly. We had countless volunteers from Awaken Church, as well as the community to band together to make it a special day for everyone. They kept score in the heat, encouraged healthy competition, and played a special role in cheering each team on.

Please take a moment to enjoy the day with us by watching the event recap below!