Fellowship Square provides affordable housing and services for older adults.
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Connect, Create, Contribute
Every May, those of us in the senior housing and services field celebrate Older Americans Month. The U.S. Administration on Aging developed this year’s theme -
Connect, Create, Contribute
– to encourage older adults and their communities to:
- Connect with friends, family and services that support participation.
- Create by engaging in activities that promote learning, health and personal enrichment.
- Contribute time, talent and life experience to benefit others.
We know Fellowship House residents have so much to offer – their accomplishments and life lessons, their personal experience of living through amazing historical events, and their expertise and knowledge from so many backgrounds and professions. Communities that encourage the contributions of older adults are ones that know the value of their elders! By engaging and supporting all community members, we recognize that older adults play a key role in the vitality of our neighborhoods, networks and lives.
Each Fellowship House had many programs and activities for residents to
Connect, Create
and
Contribute
this month including:
- At Largo Landing Fellowship House, residents were inspired to create something new for Spring at their weekly Crochet Club.
- At Hunters Woods Fellowship House, residents enjoyed a Mother’s Day Tea Party, connecting with one another through stories of motherhood and tales about their own mothers.
- At Lake Ridge Fellowship House, residents took steps to contribute to their own healthy living through a new fitness program - S.A.I.L. (Stay Active & Independent for Life).
- At Lake Anne Fellowship House, residents connected in a spiritual way through Bible Studies and one-on-one meetings with Fellowship Square Chaplain, Rev. Fred Klein.
I hope you had an opportunity to celebrate the contribution older Americans make every day to our communities. Your
support
and participation in Fellowship Square is an important way to show your gratitude for those who came before - and we are grateful for your contribution. I encourage you to
connect
,
create
, and
contribute
in your own way to help us build stronger and more diverse communities each May, and throughout the year.
Thank you for your unwavering support of our residents.
With gratitude,
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Christy Zeitz
Executive Director
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At Capitol Hill Rally,
Fellowship Square Residents Join Demand
for More Senior Housing, Now!
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Washington DC — May 8, 2019 – More than 100 residents from ALL FOUR Fellowship Square affordable housing properties in Maryland and Virginia gathered at the U.S. Capitol to urge Congress to protect and expand affordable housing for older adults.
These seniors added their voices with hundreds of other Americans of advanced age from across the country as part of the Senior Housing Now rally.
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VOLUNTEER SPOTLIGHT –
Dr. Myra Niemeier
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Long Serving Volunteer Calls for More Congregational Involvement
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Dr. Myra Niemeier
, a long-time Reston resident who served on the Fellowship Square Board of Directors for 10 years, continues to volunteer at
Lake Anne Fellowship House
. She believes that it is important that there be wider congregational involvement and support for the organization’s mission in the communities where Fellowship Square operates.
A member of the
Good Shepherd Lutheran Church
that has historically provided financial gifts to Fellowship Square, she is proud of her church’s ongoing efforts. For example, each Thanksgiving and Christmas the church’s social ministry outreach program provides residents with boxes of food, grocery store gift cards, and gifts for some of Lake Anne Fellowship House’s (LAFH) neediest residents.
To her, more involvement by youth and by schools within the communities that Fellowship Square serves is also very important. “More intergenerational interaction would be wonderful for the residents” she said.
To Dr. Niemeier, the Fellowship House mission is even more important for the area’s future. Current financial trends – very few baby boomers have savings that allow them to live comfortably in retirement
–
mean fewer older adults will be able to afford increasingly high housing costs in the metro DC area. “The need for secure, affordable housing for older, and often by definition, poorer people will increase.”
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At Annual Meeting, Members Elected, Awards Presented and Resolution Passed
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Jill Norcross
and
Theresa M. Brion
were officially elected to the Fellowship Square Board of Directors at the April 27, 2019 annual meeting and the corporate members approved a resolution that will allow the organization's board and the individual House boards to expand. The previous by-laws allowed for only 70 members of the corporation.
Of note - two longtime contributors were recognized during the festivities:
John Corkill. Jr
. for his 30+ years as an Advisor to the Largo Landing board of directors; and
Sidney Johnson
for her 10 years of service on the Hunters Woods board of directors.
Members viewed a video by George Mason University students about Fellowship Square. The keynote address was by Arlington Partnership for Affordable housing VP of Real Estate Development
Carmen Romero
.
After the business meeting, friends and supporters joined the members for a special celebration at the Paradise Springs Winery in Clifton, Virginia. The meeting was sponsored by VHDA.
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Fellowship Square board member Dan Flavin presents recognition awards to John Corkill, Jr. and Sidney Johnson for their many years of service to Fellowship Square.
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Largo Landing Fellowship House
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Lake Ridge Fellowship House
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Lake Ridge Fellowship House
held its weekly nutrition class with nutritionist Anita Eggleton. Residents learned ways to prepare healthy and delicious meals.
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Crisis Communication Training
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Also in late April, Fellowship Square board members and senior staff participated in a day-long Crisis Communication training session to learn proper protocols and best practices for taking action during a crisis or emergency. The training included role-playing of real-life scenarios and participants were also instructed on how best to communicate with stakeholders, the general public and the media.
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Welcome to
Fellowship Square’s Summer Interns!
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Lei Bai
, Programs Intern
Lei is a graduate student at George Mason University pursuing her Master’s degree in Business Administration. She expects to complete her studies in June 2019. Lei is active in the University and was responsible for organizing large-scale conferences and events in both the United States and China such as the DC Chinese Spring Festival gala, the DC International Campus Arts Festival and the Russian Ballet Gala Show. She is looking forward to contributing to Fellowship Square’s activities and programs this summer.
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John Brown
, Communications Intern
John is a native of Arlington, VA. He currently attends James Madison University and is planning to graduate in December with a bachelor’s degree in Communications. He is a Boston sports fan, loves watching movies, and enjoys
and enjoys lifting weights, running, and drawing in his free time.
John is extremely excited to intern for Fellowship Square this summer!
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Stephen Esse
,
Intern - Generalist
Stephen Esse is a rising senior at South Lakes High School in Reston, VA. His interests include track and field, American history, and Tae Kwon Do. He plans to earn the rank of Eagle Scout this summer and looks forward to working with the Fellowship Square team!
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Jasmine Piggie
, Marketing Intern
Jasmine is currently a graduate student at Regent University pursuing her Master’s degree in Strategic Communications with an expected graduation date in May of 2020. In May 2018, she graduated from Old Dominion University whe
re she earned her bachelor’s degree in Fashion Merchandising and Marketing. She recently moved from Virginia Beach to the
NoVa area with the hope of taking advantage of opportunities in the fields of Events, Social Media, and Marketing.
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Sahana Ven
, Volunteer Coordinator Intern
Sahana is an upcoming junior at James Madison University where she is pursuing a major in justice studies. She is active in her A Capella group ‘The BluesTones’. Through this internship, she is excited to gain knowledge and help build a volunteer base for Fellowship Square!
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Young Yoo
, Programs Intern
Young is a recent graduate from James Madison University with a degree in Public Administration. He hopes to work in the non-profit sector for a few years then apply to grad school to pursue a master’s degree in Non-Profit Management.
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Reminder:
If you have a Thrivent account, please designate Fellowship Square
for donations
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Stay in touch with Fellowship Square on Facebook!
We post articles, updates on activities and events, our monthly newsletter, and pertinent information regarding our properties.
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