For Samantha, a trip to Walt Disney World is more than a vacation.

It's a chance to trade cancer treatments and medical appointments for rides, characters, and time with her family. A chance to make memories somewhere built around imagination instead of illness. And, for a little while, a chance to simply be a kid.

This summer, Chartway Credit Union and the Chartway Promise Foundation launched the Heart of Giving Grant, a new initiative created for medically fragile children from military families -- and Samantha and her family became the first recipients.

Her dream is where this story begins. But the heart behind the grant has been taking shape for generations.

A Legacy Built on Service

Established in February 2026, the Heart of Giving Grant honors the legacy of service, volunteerism, and generosity demonstrated by longtime Chartway board member Wayne Foshay and his family. Wayne served Chartway Credit Union for decades, following in the footsteps of his father, who also served on the credit union board of directors. He is deeply involved with the Chartway Promise Foundation and spent 30 years serving our country as a U.S. Navy captain and naval aviator.

Different chapters of one life, connected by the same idea: service.

This grant brings together two communities that have meant a great deal to Wayne and his family. It supports children aged 18 and younger facing serious illness, injury, or complex medical conditions who are part of active-duty, reserve, National Guard, veteran, or retired military families.

For Wayne, having his family's name connected to that mission is meaningful because the work is bigger than any one person.

"This is a truly humbling honor for me and my family," said Wayne Foshay, Chartway Credit Union board emeritus and Chartway Promise Foundation board member. "Chartway has been an important part of our lives for generations. My father served on the Chartway board before me. To know this grant will bring memorable experiences to children from military families is especially rewarding. I'm beyond proud of the incredible impact the Chartway Promise Foundation has made over the years, and grateful to see the Foshay family's legacy will continue."

And now, that idea has a face, a family, and a dream.

Meet Samantha

Samantha is 10 years old. She loves the things 10-year-olds are supposed to have time for: discovery, fun, imagination, and moments that have nothing to do with doctors or diagnoses.

She also has cancer.

A photo shared ahead of her Dream Reveal captures a quieter part of who she is. Samantha stands outside in teal glasses and a T-shirt covered in planets and stars while a butterfly rests on her hand. She's watching it closely, completely absorbed in the moment.

Soon, another experience will be waiting for her.

In partnership with Toby's Dream Foundation -- a longtime Chartway Promise Foundation partner based in Virginia Beach that has served more than 650 children with life-threatening illnesses since 2009 -- the Chartway Promise Foundation will help make Samantha's dream of visiting Walt Disney World a reality. Surrounded by family and friends, she learned the news in person during a special gathering at Chartway's Virginia Beach headquarters on August 25.

Joined by her parents, grandparents, brother, and sister, Samantha grinned from Mickey ear to Mickey ear as her dream for this magical trip came true during a festive gathering in the Chartway headquarters café in Virginia Beach, Va. The celebration included cake, balloons, and gifts, along with best wishes from Chartway board members, senior leaders, and team members who came to share the moment. Samantha was especially excited to receive a Warrior Cats throw blanket to wrap up in during her trip, while her younger brother expressed a quieter concern about just how hot Orlando might be.

For this family, the Heart of Giving Grant is becoming something tangible: anticipation, a trip to plan, and something joyful waiting on the calendar.

"The Heart of Giving Grant reflects the very best of what the Chartway Promise Foundation strives to do every day -- create moments of joy, hope, smiles, and connection for medically fragile children and their families," said Rebecca Riordan, president of the Chartway Promise Foundation. "Military families like Samantha's and Wayne's make extraordinary sacrifices in service to our nation, and we're honored to help create meaningful experiences and lasting memories for these children and families who deserve moments of happiness during difficult times, in his honor."

More Than a Trip

When a child is seriously ill, life can begin to organize itself around things most families never expect to become routine: appointments, treatments, medications, test results, and waiting.

Military families are accustomed to sacrifice, too. Deployments, relocations, separation from extended family, and the demands of military life can already create challenges that other families may never experience. Layer a child's serious illness on top of that, and everyday life becomes even more complicated.

The Heart of Giving Grant can't remove those realities, but what it can do is make room for something else.

A child seeing Cinderella Castle for the first time. A family laughing together on a ride. Photos that have nothing to do with a hospital. A story that begins with, "Remember when we went to Disney?"

Those experiences matter because illness may be part of a child's life, but it should never be the whole story. That belief has guided the Chartway Promise Foundation for more than two decades. Since its founding in 2005, the Foundation has provided more than $17 million in grants. Most recently, it awarded more than $1 million to 33 charitable partners funding programs and services for medically fragile children and their families throughout 2026.

The Heart of Giving Grant extends that promise specifically to military families.

One Dream, With More to Come

Samantha is the first child to receive the annual grant, but the idea behind it was built to continue.

Another child will have another dream. Maybe it will involve a theme park. Maybe a favorite team, a beach, an animal encounter, or an experience none of us could predict. The details will change because every child is different. What won't change is the reason behind it: giving a family facing extraordinary circumstances the opportunity to experience something joyful together.

And that may be the most fitting way to honor a legacy of service -- with what happens next.

For Samantha, what happens next is Walt Disney World -- and a new memory her family gets to make together.

The Chartway Promise Foundation annually funds charitable grants to support organizations that best meet the foundations' community involvement objectives. Learn more about the Foundation, the children and families it serves, and ways you can help create more moments of joy, hope, and smiles.