Four New Board Members Elected
At its annual meeting, Fellowship Square Foundation (FSF) members elected Ric Fisher, Scott L. Parkin, Robert Sargeant and Joan S. Thomas to its
Board of Directors.
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Ric Fisher
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Ric Fisher, a resident of Fairfax City, VA, is a past member of the FSF Board, having served from 2010 to 2016 and as chair of its Governance Committee for two years. He has been a member of the Christ Evangelical Lutheran Church for close to 40 years where he served several terms on the Church Council in leadership positions.
"Good people helped to provide affordable, independent living opportunities for my parents as they reached past ninety years of age," Fisher said. "My service to FSF is in gratitude to those good people and in hope that I can help ensure affordable, independent living for others in similar circumstances."
He has also been a member of the Lamb Center and NOVACO boards. Fisher is retired after a long career with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office where he was director of the Materials and Chemical Engineering Technology Center (SES). He has been married for 47 years to Barbara and they have two daughters and five grandchildren.
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Scott L. Parkin
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A senior level communications executive for several nonprofit organizations such as the National Council on Aging and Leading Age,
Scott L. Parkin retired after serving as the first director of Communications for Justice In Aging (formerly National Senior Citizens Law Center) in Washington, DC.
"I have spent a large part of my working life advocating for programs that benefit the elderly poor," Parkin said. "I am looking forward to serving on a board with a mission I can believe in."
Parkin, a long-time resident of Reston, Virginia, he served as president of two homeowners associations, on various committees at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Reston, and for a short time as president of Resident Interfaith. He has been married for 37 years to Joyce, they have two adult children and an aging Golden Retriever.
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Robert Sargeant
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Robert Sargeant or "Sarge", retired from the Athletic Department at Catholic University where he served as associate athletic director/business manager with extra duty as student health insurance director. His volunteer work includes appointments to AARP Federal and State Advocacy teams and serving as a community ambassador for AARP. He also serves as an AARP representative on the Fairfax Food Council. A member of St. Mark's Lutheran Church in Springfield, VA, he is president of Lutheran Lay Fellowship and a corporate member of Fellowship Square Foundation.
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Joan S. Thomas
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Joan S. Thomas currently is the chief clinical officer for Behavioral Health and director of community relations for The District Home Assisted Living.
"I believe we need to provide affordable housing to folks throughout their life span," Ms. Thomas said. "A social worker by training, I believe in social justice and the mission of FSF."
She oversees the management of the Community Relation Program and is engaged in the broader community both locally and regionally. Earlier in her career, she worked for Kaiser Permanente. She is a member of the National Association of Social Workers, Leading Age, the Virginia Healthcare Association and is a fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives. A Falls Church, VA resident, Ms. Thomas is married to James and has three grown children, two grandsons and three big, noisy dogs.
The members also recognized the service of retiring Board members Jennifer Maloney, the Rev. Dave Pearcy, the Rev. Suzanne Rudiselle and Chuck Wortman.
Lake Anne Redevelopment News
Board Member Eddie Byrne and Senior Real Estate Development Officer for the Community Preservation and Development Corporation (CPDC) Matt Engle gave a detailed presentation on the status of the Lake Anne Redevelopment project at the Annual Corporate Membership meeting.
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Lake Anne redevelopment plan
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According to the current plan, construction of the new Lake Anne Fellowship House would start in late 2019 in the currently-unused, eastern portion of the property and would be finished sometime in 2021. Only after current residents are relocated there would the older buildings be demolished. The land on which they stand would be sold.
The project would replace the 240 units in Lake Anne I and II in a new state-of-the art building that would minimize disruption for current residents while maintaining long-term affordability and improving accessibility and program space.
The new Lake Anne Fellowship House would retain affordable housing in a community where rent is often unaffordable to many seniors and people with disabilites. Just as they are now, new units will be available to older adults over age 62 and people with disabilities who are income qualified.
Byrne described the arduous process that still lay ahead for the project including approvals from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development as well as from Fairfax County and Reston entities.
The financing for the project is complex consisting of low-income tax credits, mortgage debt and the sale of excess land. The joint ownership project with CPDC means that FSF will have a say in all major decisions affecting the project, will receive a share of development fees and projected cash flow as well as first right to the purchase of the property at end of the financing period.
Donors of the Year Honored
Fellowship Square Foundation (FSF) has named Paul Hill and Prabha Iyer as "Donor of the Year" for their long-time support. FSF provides affordable housing and an array of support services for 700+ low-income seniors and persons with disabilities in Northern Virginia and Maryland.
Residents of Reston, Va., Paul and Prabha were introduced to FSF through a Thanksgiving basket drive organized by another local nonprofit organization they are involved with, Cornerstones. "We delivered baskets to some of the residents at Fellowship Square's Hunters Woods and Lake Anne residences here in Reston, so that gave us a direct window into the lives of the people being served. It's good to see our donations making a direct impact on the lives of folks in our community," said Prabha Iyer. Once the couple visited the FSF residences, they realized that they saw many of the residents walking on local trails when they were out walking their dogs. "We like having them as neighbors. This is an expensive area to live in, and we're happy to help make it more affordable for seniors and disabled individuals."
Have you made your annual contribution to Fellowship Square? If not, please
do so today! We rely on the generous support of donors like you to fulfill the needs of our residents and sustain operations that we would otherwise not be able to provide. Thank you!!
Bylaw Changes Approved
At the May 13th Annual Corporate Membership Meeting, the Fellowship Square Foundation members approved needed updates to the Bylaws and Articles of Incorporation. Bylaw changes now allow members to nominate and elect new members and make all members of the Board of Directors and House Boards Corporate Members. The changes also reduce the percentage of Directors that must be members of Lutheran congregations from ½ to ¼, consistent with Class II affiliation with the Evangelical Lutheran Congregations of America.
