February 2025

Love for our Supporters and Volunteers

Every day, volunteers and supporters make our work possible. While our mission is to improve the lives of older adults who struggle to make ends meet by providing them with affordable housing and supportive services, our philosophy of resident enrichment goes even further: We strive to also provide a wide variety of services, activities and events that benefit residents in every aspect of living — physically, intellectually, socially, emotionally, creatively, spiritually and vocationally. It’s here that our volunteers come in, and we’re always looking for groups to volunteer and to help us provide this much-needed support.

Best of all, we have a wide variety of opportunities to fit the time and talents of our volunteers! If you love a party, consider helping out at a social event – whether that’s signing in guests, chatting with residents, serving food, or helping with crafts. Do you play an instrument? Consider joining other musical performers at Hunters Woods’ “Tuesday Music Café” sessions! Or, check out our monthly “Fellowship Fresh” program: Every month, our Fellowship Houses receive food donations for residents from local retailers, government agencies, and other nonprofits. Volunteers are needed to help move bulk donations and deliver food to residents’ apartments, and it’s a great way to combine the much-needed service of providing food with one-on-one visits with our residents.

As we set out on our 65^th anniversary year, we are so grateful for the countless volunteers who have supported our work for so long, and we look forward to welcoming new supporters to our team. Find out more, give us a call, and make this the year you make big impact on the lives of our seniors!

Christy's Corner

Be the Life Preserver

While the new Trump administration attempts to ferret out waste and abuse within the federal government, there’s concern from both Democrats and Republicans that important programs may be labeled unnecessary when in fact they are essential.

As I write this, Fellowship Square continues to receive its monthly rental subsidies from the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) that ensures the rent amount residents pay is no more than 30% of their annual income.

In coalition with other affordable senior housing advocates, we’ve helped paint the picture that it’s impossible to expect an older adult who relies on less than $20,000/year to realistically afford a dignified place to live, along with utilities, transportation, food and other necessities for daily living without the support of local, state, and federal funding sources.

In fact, most Americans appreciate and understand government’s role in supporting those with limited resources, particularly seniors who have little to live on and face daunting challenges in health and memory loss as they age. A study by the University of Michigan notes the changes in attitude around government support since the pandemic and these findings further substantiate the importance of many of the government programs for seniors that may be on the chopping block.

As we celebrate our 65^th Anniversary this year, Fellowship Square is proud of its rich history of providing quality housing and supportive services to thousands of seniors and feel confident in the future of our organization, our mission and the lives we can improve for any senior who walks through our door. We also recognize that our work would be impossible without the hundreds of partners, volunteers, donors and government agencies that all play an important role in allowing us to carry out our mission and fulfill our promise to seniors.

Thank you for the support you’ve given to our organization – and I hope you are prepared to support us again. When things look the bleakest, that’s when the best of humanity comes to light. I hope we can depend on your support again.

In gratitude,

Christy Zeitz

CEO

Resident Life

Thank You, Supporters!

Thank you, Closet of Greater Herndon, for your generous grant of $2500 to support our mission. The Closet has been offering affordable clothing and household items to those in need for 50 years, and we’re so grateful for your partnership!

Fellowship Board Celebrates 65 Years!

Members of the Fellowship Square Board of Directors ‘rocked the red’ together at a Washington Capitals game in February. It was just one small way to thank our Board for their volunteer service during our 65^th anniversary year – and a perfectly fitting night to witness Ovechkin score his 883^rd goal – just 11 away from breaking Gretzky’s record!

Resident Profile

Fellowship Square’s 2024 Annual Report will be available next month, and we look forward to sharing with our supporters how we transform their funds, service and time into major impact for our communities and people. The report will cover the progress made in 2024 along with profiles of some of the very people we work so hard to support through a life of dignity.

You’ll meet, for example, Regina Haring, 88 years young, who has lived at Hunters Woods Fellowship House for 17 years. Originally from Vienna, Austria, Regina remembers her arrival to Ellis Island as “the happiest day of our lives … there had been bombs falling over us at home when we left, and now we were in America.”

Regina knows true food and housing insecurity, as she was a toddler when Hitler and his armies invaded Austria in 1938 and lived under the Nazi occupation (the ““Anschluss”) of Austria under the Nazi regime. Her childhood included very real fear and hardship as a daily part of life.

Since moving to Hunters Woods, Regina has come to love Reston for its convenience and accessibility, enjoying especially the feeling she has at Fellowship Square: “It’s like a family here. You never feel alone.”

Regina’s story is one of many, as varied as the men and women who live in our communities. Be sure to learn more about her, and make time to take a deep dive into our Annual Report next month. We know you’ll feel inspired!

Staff News

Welcome Lisa Queeney, Director of Finance

Please join us in welcoming Lisa Queeny, Director of Finance, who joined our staff after working as a financial contractor for Fellowship Square for four months. Having spent most of her professional career working for nonprofits in the D.C. metropolitan area, she understands the importance of respecting a nonprofit’s mission. Lisa graduated from Clarion State University (now Pennsylvania Western University) with a BSBA in Accounting and enjoys spending time with her family, cooking for them, reading, and gardening.

Congratulations, Grace Foster!

Congratulations and best wishes to Grace Foster, our Service Coordinator at Lake Ridge Fellowship House. She got married on February 8, with several Fellowship Square colleagues alongside her to celebrate, including Susan Hoffler, Lake Ridge Community Manager; Karinne DiMeglio, Communication Coordinator; Jessica Hamman, Executive Support Manager; Christy Zeitz, CEO; Grace Foster, Lake Ridge Service Coordinator; Ephrem, groom; Jane Kung, Hunters Woods Service Coordinator; Vanessa McKay, Office Manager and Brenda Martinez, Development Coordinator (left to right). 

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