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President's Update
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| Eddie Byrne, Board President |
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As I write this, we are in the final grips of a March winter, but looking ahead to the new beginnings of spring. Spring will be a busy time at Fellowship Square, as we continue to push forward with many activities.
At Lake Anne Fellowship House, we are working with HUD to expand affordable housing opportunities within the existing buildings, while simultaneously working with Fairfax County and the Reston community to build a new, 240-unit building to replace this aging complex.
At Hunters Wood Fellowship House we have initiated a program to recapitalize the building and extend the housing subsidy through a new contract with HUD by March 2019. These two initiatives are linked to a modernization of Hunters Woods that are being planned simultaneously. Both the Lake Ridge Fellowship House and the Largo Landing Fellowship House were refinanced several years ago and have completed or have ongoing modernization programs. Our goal in each of these efforts is to create an attractive and comfortable living environment for our current residents and for those to come over the next 50 years of Fellowship Square.
With our new staff, we are expanding our community outreach. Fellowship Square has been blessed with the support of local churches, community groups, businesses and individuals who contribute their time and money in providing supplemental and supportive services to the residents at each or our four communities. Our goal is to show our appreciation for all that has been provided to our residents, support and encourage ongoing contributions and leverage these efforts to further expand community support. So we thank all of you who have supported Fellowship Square in the past and look forward to a continued partnership in sustaining and enhancing the quality of life for our senior and disabled residents.
Eddie Byrne
Board President, Fellowship Square Foundation
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| Donate Today to Fellowship Square's Wegener Chaplaincy Program |
Did you know that for many Fellowship House residents, the only person who visits them is Pastor Fred Klein? It's troubling to know that a number of Fellowship House residents have no family or friends, or little contact with them, and live a solitary life with no one to share it.
For six years, Pastor Klein has been a part of Fellowship Square Foundation's Wegener Chaplaincy program in which he offers not only the companionship residents cherish, but also important spiritual support to the 800 residents that call Fellowship House home. He makes regular visits to all four Fellowship House properties and visits residents when they are hospitalized or in a rehabilitation center. However, his hours are limited and he alone cannot meet the growing demand for his time and support.
You see, Fellowship House is home to more than 800 residents, spread across Northern Virginia and Maryland. Pastor Klein is committed to visiting each property once per month, but he sees more and more requests from residents for his time and is unable to meet that demand.
Simply put, we need additional resources to expand the program and reach many more residents.
Please consider a donation today to support this important program. Your tax-deductible donation of $25, $50, $100, $200 or more will give residents new hope on life as we are able to offer visits and support from more people of faith to help them through their toughest times. I've enclosed a brochure that tells you more about how this program was started and how it is an integral part of the Fellowship Square Foundation mission.
On behalf of our residents, thank you for your generous support.
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House Residents Enjoy the Holidays and Welcome the New Year
The holidays are always an exciting time and residents at Fellowship House celebrated with events and parties throughout December. The best part about this time of year is the support and involvement we receive from the surrounding community.
At Largo Landing Fellowship House, residents enjoyed a light tour at Watkins Regional Park and were invited to attend their annual Holiday Party. Hunters Woods had volunteers and donations from King's Chapel Church, Cornerstones, St. John Neumann Catholic Church, Trader Joe's, Christ the Servant Lutheran Church and Anthem Insurance. Lake Ridge Fellowship House had two exciting special events with local youth groups: the Boy Scouts came by with gifts for residents and Woodbridge High School held an annual Christmas Party for residents.
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LAFH Healthy Heart Seminar |
A New Year brings a Focus on Health
Deciding on a New Year's resolution can be difficult, but not for Fellowship House residents. Residents welcomed the New Year with seminars and classes geared towards healthy living. Lake Anne Fellowship House offered INOVA Blood Pressure Screening in both January and February and scheduled both Fitness and Wellness classes for residents. Residents had the benefit of hearing from a Giant Food Store nutritionist focused on Eating for Diabetes and Pre-Diabetes, and important vaccinations to keep residents healthy.
At Lake Anne Fellowship House, Ms. Natalie Kannan, the Giant Grocery Store nutritionist, focused on "Healthy Heart" information. The seminar content was translated into different languages which allowed residents to understand the presentation material and ask questions. Members of the Lake Anne Board of Directors and Ms. Kannan provided healthy refreshments for residents. Thanks to Lutheran Lay Fellowship for connecting with Giant Food Stores to offer this important information to residents.
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LAFH CDSMP Workshop |
Lake Anne's Resident Service Coordinator (RSC), Ms. Garima Apan in collaboration with Ms. Binbin Yang, a Community Health Specialist at the Fairfax County Health Department organized a Chronic Disease Self-Management Program for the Chinese residents. The Chronic Disease Self-Management Program (CDSMP), developed by Dr. Kate Lorig at Stanford University, is an evidence-based program offered once a week, for six weeks. The program has been proven effective across socioeconomic and educa
tion levels and the health benefits that persist over a two-year period. There is strong evidence that CDSMP has a beneficial effect on physical and emotional outcomes and health-related quality of life.
The workshop covered techniques to deal with problem such as: frustration, fatigue, pain and isolation; appropriate exercise for maintaining and improving strength, flexibility and endurance; appropriate use of medication, communicating effectively with family, friends and health professionals, nutrition, and how to evaluate new treatment. 18 Chinese residents successfully completed the CDSMP workshop. The RSC is in process of opening this opportunity to other residents in the building in the near future.
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Celebrating Our Cultures, Together
Lake Anne Fellowship House hosted an exciting celebration for the Chinese New Year. To bring in the Year of the Dog, residents gathered with local Chinese Community members and celebrated with traditional Chinese decorations and clothing, homemade food, and singing, dancing and playing Tai Chi sword.
In honor of Black History Month, Lake Ridge Fellowship House featured "African-American Firsts" in its February newsletter. Did you know that Martin Luther King, Jr. was actually the second African-American to receive the Nobel Peace Prize? Ralph J. Bunche was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize 14 years earlier
for mediating the Arab-Israeli truce.
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At Lake Anne Fellowship House, we are continuing our efforts to expand the housing subsidies available to our residents in the current buildings, as well as to design and to
gain community approval for a new Lake Anne building to replace the existing complex.
Mortgage Prepayment and TPVs for LA I:
In spite of constant monitoring and communication with HUD, Fellowship Square Foundation is still awaiting HUD's approval to pre-pay the HUD 202 mortgage and obtain Tenant Protection Vouchers (TPVs) for the remaining 113 units at Lake Anne I. Our most recent target from HUD for approval is mid-April of this year. If this occurs, we may still be able to obtain the Tenant Protection Vouchers (TPVs) from HUD by mid 2018.
Rezoning:
Our rezoning application, which includes the Development Plan and draft Proffers, has been under review by Fairfax County since December 11, 2017. We have completed an initial review cycle and resubmitted slightly revised plans on February 21st. We anticipated additional meetings and possible changes to our submission before the staff review is complete. The current staff schedule continues to indicate that public hearings before the County's Planning Commission and Board of Supervisors will occur in June and July of this year.
Community Outreach:
We will be meeting with several community groups over the next several weeks, as a continuation of our outreach program. In March, we have scheduled meetings with our neighbors at Hickory Cluster and with the Design Review Board of the Reston Association. We anticipate additional meetings with each of these groups, as well as the Planning and Zoning Committee of the Reston Association and other interested community groups as the rezoning continues to be processed by Fairfax County.
Once we are confident that our land plan resolves any concerns of the County and community that have been raised in this review process, we anticipate additional meetings to advise the residents on any design changes and update them of our progress in the rezoning process.
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Each Fellowship House has its own unique set of needs and opportunities to enhance the lives of its residents, both through the programming and support it offers and through upgrades to the properties themselves. In the past three months, the following updates have been made:
Hunters Woods Fellowship House:
Lights have been installed in the parking area, adding an extra level of safety and security for residents and visitors. A friendly face has been promoted at Hunters Woods: Brenda is new the House Resident Specialist.
Largo Landing Fellowship House: the new canopy replacement that welcomes residents and visitors into the House is on order and should be replaced in the near future. Work to the parking lot has been approved and should begin shortly. This update will offer more spaces for residents and visitors.
Lake Ridge Fellowship House: A new cell tower has received approval from HUD, giving residents better phone service. Jean, a member of the Lake Ridge staff, has been promoted to assistant manager.
Lake Anne Fellowship House: A new assistant maintenance supervisor and a maintenance tech have been added to Lake Anne's staff, supporting House maintenance efforts going forward. This means quicker responses to resident needs.
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Over a decade ago, members of
Christ the Servant Lutheran Church (CTS)
were inspired to expand their outreach work to include their immediate community. Specifically, they felt called upon to become more involved at Hunters Woods Fellowship House, a stones-throw from their own front door, but they weren't quite sure what that involvement could look like.
Soon an opportunity presented itself: Thanksgiving was coming, and no one was scheduled to serve a Thanksgiving meal to Hunters Woods residents. Without events like the Thanksgiving meal, residents weren't coming together. Many were spending time in their own apartments, isolated from other residents and the surrounding community. This became the goal of the members of CTS: to get residents out of their apartments and together for a communal holiday social event with music and food.
More than 10 years later, not only has CTS achieved that goal, but their holiday meal for residents has turned into a popular monthly event. Every month, congregational members present a musical program and serve a home-cooked meal. At the Sunday service a week prior to the Fellowship House event each month, CTS members volunteer to help by preparing either a casserole or a dessert. On the morning of the luncheon, the volunteers drop off their food. The casseroles are heated by CTS volunteers in the kitchen at Hunters Woods Fellowship House and then served. Every month, CTS can expect to have anywhere from 90 to 120 residents sign up for Fellowship House Luncheon Sunday. For the past several years, CTS has served the annual holiday Christmas meal. This past December, the holiday event brought out nearly all the Hunters Woods residents for a day of great food, entertainment and even better company.
There's no budget allotted to the members of the congregation, either from Fellowship House or the church itself. They volunteer the meals - and their time - to ensure that residents have the chance to gather once a month. When asked why they keep cooking for the residents, the answer is simple:
"It's a Labor of Love," says Pastor Phillip Carl. "That love: it's baked into the cake, and it's what we do."
Jørn Dalboe, who set everything in motion all those years ago along with his wife Sara, humbly mirrors this sentiment: "It's what we believe in."
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Vern Krueger with LLFH Administrator David Digby
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Tell us a little bit about yourself.
I have a
B.S. in Electronic Engineering from George Washington University.
I worked for 38 years as an aerospace engineer designing scientific satellites and associated software at the NASA, Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, MD.
I am a member of Ascension Lutheran Church, Landover Hills, MD (LCMS). I served as President for four years, Vice President for four years, Secretary for two years, and Chairman or Vice Chairman of the Board of Education for over 20 years.
I have been a member of the Board of Directors of FSF for 30 years, serving in the positions of President, Vice President, Secretary, Chairperson of the Personnel Committee, member of the Finance Committee and have also done some work with the PR&RD Committee. I was instrumental in the development of the pay scale for management and headquarters personnel, and the reorganization of the Foundation's management.
How did you get involved in Fellowship Square?
I learned about Fellowship Square from a friend who was a member of the FSF Board of Directors at the time, and decided that I could give back to the community by participating in one of its committees. After serving on a committee for a year, I officially joined the Fellowship Square Board of Directors in 1987.
What was your biggest contribution to FS?
During my tenure on the Board, I wore many hats. I served as Chairman of the Personnel Committee, moved on to Secretary and then ultimately served terms as President and Vice President of Fellowship Square. I like to think I played a pivotal role in restructuring Fellowship Square, ensuring the financial strength of the organization while at the same time helping to increase staff's salaries and getting them health insurance and a retirement plan for the first time in the organization's history. I also served 27 years as President of the Largo Landing Fellowship House Board of Directors.
What kept you involved in FS for over three decades?
Fellowship Square's mission. I felt deeply the importance of offering affordable housing for low-income seniors. In all my time at Fellowship Square, I really felt that Fellowship Square is "not only a place to live, but a place that is good."
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Robert Greenwood |
Robert Greenwood has more than 30 years' experience in health care
poli
cy and communications field. He currently serves as Senior Vice President of Public Affairs for the National PACE Association, an organization supporting PACE organizations efforts to keep seniors in the community for long as possible. He holds a bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of Kansas and a master's degree in public administration from George Mason University.
"One of the things I have missed since moving to a
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Michael Scheruer |
large metropolitan area is the ability to find
opportunities to serve the less fortunate in my immediate community," says Greenwood. "It would be nice to be connected to a local organization working to make a difference in the community."
Michael Scheurer is the Vice President for Housing and Community Development for Cornerstones Housing Development Corporation and has a celebrated year career in affordable housing finance. Scheurer is a regular presenter on affordable housing development and finance. He holds a B.S. and Master's Degree from Ball State University in Urban and Regional Planning.
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Get Involved - Give Time, Talent or Treasure
Fellowship Square relies on many volunteers, supporters and donors to ensure that our residents maintain a good quality of life as they live out their golden years in our Houses. Please consider making time - or a donation - in support of our mission!
Learn about volunteer opportunities.
Consider making a charitable donation to support our mission.
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Donate Something Other Than Money
Our residents appreciate donated items such grocery/store gift cards, household items, gift baskets and other day-to-day necessities that help to save them money. If you or your group would like to donate items, or have already collected such items to donate, please contact our Executive Director, Christy Zeitz at
[email protected]
or (703) 860-2536.
Thank you!
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After March 31, continue to go through Amazon Smile to do your online shopping. Fellowship Square receives a monthly donation through their Amazon Smile program.
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Fellowship Square Foundation Mission Statement
Fellowship Square, a faith-based, nonprofit organization, advocates for and
provides safe, secure, and affordable homes and an array of supportive services
for a diverse population of low-income older adults.
Our communities, through mutual support and by facilitating access to services,
foster independence, dignity, and healthy and vibrant lifestyles.
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