Hartwood Foundation, Inc.

Celebrates 50 Years!

Over the course of the past couple of months and just recently at our 20th Annual Hartwood Open golf tournament, a great question was repeatedly asked, "Exactly what is the Hartwood Foundation?" We thought it would be nice to give a little refresher on our existence as we are now in our 50th year and our subscribers list has grown by 28% in 2023.

Our Story

Hartwood Foundation, Inc. is a nonprofit, nonsectarian organization that develops and operates residential service programs for persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities in Virginia. Founded in 1973 by a small group of families, our first program provided respite services to individuals and families at a time when there was virtually no services available in northern Virginia for young adults who had “aged out” of the school system. The organization has evolved over the years and we now operate 17 additional community based group homes, along with a variety of family support programs. Nearly 100 persons live in our full-time community homes. Some 30 to 40 persons use the respite program annually. And, many others are involved in the family support programs we operate in cooperation with the Fairfax-Falls Church Community Services Board.

Hartwood Foundation, Inc., under the mindful leadership of Sean McGinnis, continues to set the bar for housing and care for developmentally challenged adults in our immediate area. Challenges are always present from: updates to rebate rates to assist our residents, rising medical costs and staffing shortages. We are grateful for your support of our organization and are always seeking new partners to further our outreach in the community. If your company or organization is interested in learning how you assist us, please reach out to AJ Oskuie at ajoskuie@hartwoodfoundation.com or 703-981-4911.

We have exciting plans for 2024 and would love to have more partners involved!

As always, WE THANK YOU!

Nearly 1 in 10 U.S. Children Has a Developmental Disability: CDC

More kids in the United States are getting a developmental disability diagnosis, with prevalence close to 9% in 2021, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports.

Among 3- to 17-year-olds, 8.56% have ever been diagnosed with a developmental disability, compared to 7.4% in 2019, according to the agency's National Health Interview Survey.

The diagnoses are far more common among boys than girls. More than 1 in 10 boys had an intellectual disability, autism spectrum disorder or any other developmental delay in 2021, the researchers reported.

Most of the increase fell into the category of "any other developmental delay," a broader category that includes speech disorders and learning disabilities.

This report is the first released by the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) since it looked at trends between 2009 and 2017.

"Timely estimates are necessary to assess the adequacy of services and interventions that children with developmental disabilities typically need," wrote Benjamin Zablotsky, a statistician for the NCHS, and colleagues.

The report also noted that boys were more than three times as likely as girls to be diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder.

From 2019 to 2021, researchers found that rates of intellectual disability or autism spectrum disorder did not have a statistically significant increase, with almost 2% of children having an intellectual disability and 3% having autism. But reports of children having any "other developmental delay" rose from about 5% in 2019 to about 6% in 2021.

"A lot of times developmental delays might be temporary diagnoses that evolve into something like autism, potentially, or intellectual disability. But also a lot of times children do age out of those," Zablotsky said in a CBS News report.

(This article was produced in HealthDay by Cara Murez on July 13, 2023.)

Down Syndrome Nonprofit Gifts

Bundles of Joy to Parents  

Parents who are expecting or have recently welcomed a child are typically showered with congratulatory sentiments. That’s not always the case for those who have a child with disabilities, such as Down syndrome. Sometimes, people unintentionally say hurtful things; and other times, people don’t say anything at all. But all babies, with and without disabilities, deserve to be celebrated, says Brittany Schiavone, founder of Brittany’s Baskets of Hope. This nonprofit is committed to providing information, support, guidance and, as the name states, hope to families that are either expecting or have newly welcomed a baby with Down syndrome.

A Down Syndrome Nonprofit is Beautifully Born

When Sue and Rocco Schiavone welcomed their daughter, Brittany, back in 1989, physicians and loved ones alike muttered, “I’m sorry,” rather than gleefully shouting “Congratulations.” That’s because Brittany was diagnosed at birth with Down syndrome; and, so, some believed that she wouldn’t (or couldn’t) lead a full life. But the Schiavones didn’t want or need sympathy or doubt. They wanted joy, and they needed supportive love — as did their new daughter and her older brother, Justin. So, as parents do for any baby, Sue and Rocco nurtured their little girl; and encouraged her to embrace the beauty of differences, be confident to pursuit of endless possibilities and, most of all, embody and exude happiness and kindness.

And that she did… throughout her childhood and still to this day! When Brittany entered adulthood, she realized her calling to promote these same powerful positive messages of inclusivity to other families like hers.

“In 2014, when I was 25, I saw a video on a break at work about people helping babies with Down syndrome. I told my parents I wanted to do that too,” Brittany tells AmeriDisability. Sue admits that they didn’t take her too seriously at first. After all, establishing and operating a nonprofit organization is a tall task. But Brittany remained persistent, eventually kickstarting operations from the basement of the Schiavone home.

In October 2016, Brittany’s Baskets of Hope sent out its first basket to parents of a newborn diagnosed with Down syndrome. To date, this Long Island based nonprofit has sent more than 2,100 baskets to families in all 50 states (and Puerto Rico)! With nationwide demand, most baskets are shipped throughout the country but, when possible, Brittany and Sue hand-deliver the special care packages to local families in the New York area.

“That’s my favorite part — when I get to talk to the moms and hold the babies. I think the babies know that I have Down syndrome and look up to me,” Brittany shares.

Brittany’s Baskets of Hope aligns with other Down syndrome related organizations across the nation to connect with families. Parents and/or loved ones may fill out a basket request form online at BrittanysBasketsOfHope.org.

(This article was produced in Ameridisability by Nancy DeVault on April 28, 2023.)

If you can donate to our organization, we thank you!