Although perhaps best known for its summer programs, Victory Junction – a Randleman, North Carolina-based camp for children with serious illnesses and chronic medical conditions – operates year-round.

That’s great news, especially for parents who might be initially reluctant to leave their child or children for four or five consecutive days at a place where they’ve never been, and that’s potentially several hours from home.

Before applying for their kids to attend summer camp, many parents join their children for a Family Weekend Camp at the sprawling 543-acre Victory Junction property, the vast majority of which came by way of donations from NASCAR’s legendary Petty family, which co-founded Victory Junction in 2004.

Victory Junction hosts its Family Weekend Camps throughout the year, with many happening in the fall. These short visits are a great way for families to get acquainted and comfortable with Victory Junction and all it has to offer, before sending their kids to camp on their own in the summer.

“To be able to be a part of Family Weekend kind of takes away the nervousness for the kids, of going away to camp, because they’re familiar with it,” said Megan Turbeville, who recently participated in her first Family Weekend Camp along with her husband, Taylor, and their three children – including 13-year-old son Tannon and 10-year-old daughter Ellie, who both deal with Type 1 diabetes.

Neither Turbeville parent knew much of anything about Victory Junction before arriving for Family Weekend.

“It was really a blessing to be able to experience it,” Megan Turbeville said. “It just kind of gets the kids familiar with the facilities and amenities and how everything is run. And it’s a neat way for us parents to get to see the kids experiencing things they may not otherwise get to do.”

The Turbevilles, who live in the Myrtle Beach, South Carolina area, about three-and-a-half hours from Victory Junction, made the trip north for Family Weekend at the recommendation of some friends who also live in the Myrtle Beach area.

Those friends, Sarah Crist and her longtime boyfriend Bryan, have sent Sarah’s son, Stephen, and his younger sister, Nellie, to Victory Junction summer camp two different years, and the family has attended two Family Weekends together.

Stephen, who is now 13, deals with eosinophilic esophagitis – a chronic gastrointestinal condition that closes the throat, causes vomiting and requires specially-made food.

But Victory Junction, which hosts a camp in the summer designed just for kids with gastrointestinal disorders, has been able to accommodate Stephen’s needs each time he’s been to camp, whether in the summer or at Family Weekend.

“Victory Junction gave him a space where it was almost like he had a superpower,” Sarah Crist said. “In some weird way, it was almost like the disease that made him feel like he’s ‘other’ actually makes him feel special and included at Victory Junction.”

The only other place outside of home where Stephen has consistently felt comfortable eating the food is Disney World.

“This was a big thing for him to go to Victory Junction and know that he could trust them and they were going to make separate food for him and have separate facilities and equipment to not cross-contaminate,” Bryan said. “He actually ended up liking a few of the things there a whole lot. He was raving about them after that first visit.”

From Crist’s perspective, Victory Junction’s Family Weekends, in particular, have left a mark on the entire family – not just Stephen. 

“At Victory Junction, for parents, not only do we get to see our children and all the kids that give them that superpower over the summer, but it gives us a space to really relax and enjoy,” Crist said. “I’ve made friends, I’ve gotten to know people. You see familiar faces, and it’s not over sadness. It’s this joy that we share.

“Too often we feel heavy and sorrowful as parents in situations, but Victory Junction gives those parents a space to be joyful and have little adventures.”

Victory Junction’s Family Weekend Camps, which begin on Friday night and end on Sunday afternoon, are certainly full of adventure. Activities over the two nights and three days include dance parties, barn animal visits, fishing, boating, bowling, basketball, archery, painting, and arts and crafts.

“We were wore out,” Taylor Turbeville said with a laugh, reflecting back on the Family Weekend he attended in early September. “It was like we went to Disney World almost.”

“I’ve never seen our kids sit still for so long, busy painting their crafts,” Megan Turbeville added. “It was pretty cool.”

When the summer of 2026 rolls around, the Turbevilles hope to send their two children with Type 1 diabetes to camp at Victory Junction by themselves for the first time.

“A lot of these conditions are lifelong,” Taylor Turbeville said. “Family Weekends are a chance where these kids can kind of have some fun and feel comfortable with the medical staff on site. And it was the same for us. We know if something were to happen, they have enough resources there that are provided to make sure our kids are safe.

“Next year, if they do attend summer camp, we feel comfortable dropping them off for several days. It was wonderful seeing and meeting so many different people.”

To learn more about Victory Junction, including how you can offer support, visit VictoryJunction.org/Discover.