Fellowship Square provides affordable housing and services for older adults.

SEPTEMBER 2019

IN THIS ISSUE

Review Us on Great Nonprofits "Nip & Sip" Fundraiser Remembering Rev. Pearcy Resident Life Community Support Christy's Corner Dr. Shontay Kincaid New Team Members

We Need Reviews!   It’s easy and only takes three minutes!   If you love our work, then tell the world! Did you know that just behind recommendations from friends and families, reviews impact volunteering and donation decisions the most?   Won’t you help us raise visibility for our work by posting a review about your experience with Fellowship Square? Visit GreatNonprofits – a review site like Yelp, but for nonprofits to tell the world what you think about us. All reviews are visible to potential donors and volunteers.

Fall into Fellowship

…a huge success!! On the evening of September 19, some 50 people came out to support Fellowship Square and the Largo Landing Fellowship House community at a fundraiser held at the impressive Bozzuto headquarters in Greenbelt, MD. The evening featured an uplifting performance by the Largo Landing Fellowship House choir who raised their voices in song.  “It was an amazing evening… I am pleased to be here to support this very worthwhile cause,” noted one of the attendees.  Guests enjoyed a lavish spread of appetizers and a variety of wines and other ‘sips’. Not many guests left empty-handed as raffle items such as Wizards game tickets, gift cards, an Amazon Echo Dot and more prizes were continuously handed out to winners.   Visit our online album for more pictures from the event.

Many thanks to our generous sponsors:

Diamond Sponsor CPDC

Gold Sponsor Baker Tilly

Silver Sponsor Miner Feinstein Architects

Venue Sponsor Bozzuto

And thanks to many, many others who contributed to the evening’s success!

IN MEMORY…

+ Rev. David L. Pearcy + 1942 - 2019

The Rev. David L. Pearcy , 77, of Darnestown, Maryland, passed away on September 15, 2019. He was the husband of JoAnn, with whom he shared 56 years of marriage.   Dave served for many years as Vice President of the Fellowship Square board and also on its Governance Committee. As noted by fellow board members, Dave was challenging with his ideas, fun to debate issues and processes with, and was always kind and friendly. “My memory of Dave Pearcy was that he was a genuine churchman. He had an expanded view of the church and what it should be and do. He had a clear vision that ministry should be inclusive and center on people both in the church and outside of the church. I will miss his strong theology, keen mind and articulate witness to the truths he held dear,” stated Pastor Fred Klein , Fellowship Square’s resident chaplain. Rev. Pearcy was born in Kokomo, Indiana. He served his vicarage at Ascension Lutheran Church in Charlotte, North Carolina from 1969-1970, and he graduated from Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, Missouri in 1971. He was ordained on July 19, 1971, and installed at St. Phillip Lutheran Church in Chattanooga, Tennessee. He served there until 1976, when he accepted a call to as a Chaplain in the United States Navy. In 1996, Rev. Pearcy retired from the Navy, and accepted a call to serve as Pastor at Pilgrim Lutheran Church in Bethesda, Maryland. In 1999, he began serving with Lutheran Social Services of the National Capitol Area and then with Lutheran Disaster Response. The position with LDR came into being following 9/11 when it was felt that a representative was necessary in Washington DC.  Rev. Pearcy retired from active service on June 15, 2004. He willingly served in multiple roles during his retirement, including as a vacancy pastor, circuit counselor, and vicarage supervisor. Pastor David used his ministry gifts in several unique settings throughout his career, but in whatever the role he served, he was always a pastor. Caring for people was at the heart of his ministry. He will be missed.

RESIDENT LIFE

Lake Anne Fellowship House Redevelopment Project

On the evening of Wednesday, September 4, residents of Lake Anne Fellowship House gathered for an informational session on the Lake Anne Redevelopment project.  Residents were able to learn more about the status and details of the project, and had opportunities to ask questions and engage in deeper discussion through group and one-on-one sessions. Topics such as the architecture of the new building, amenities, energy bills, moving services and many other issues were addressed.  The event was very informative, and the residents are very much looking forward to seeing the project come to fruition.

Hunters Woods Fellowship House Residents Pay their Respects

Residents of Hunters Woods Fellowship House observed a moment of silence on the morning of September 11. George Davies, Hunters Woods Community Manager, offered remarks and thanked everyone for coming together to remember the tragedy that occurred that day 18 years ago, and to give thanks for those who sacrificed their lives to keep us safe. Commemorative ribbons were distributed to the residents to wear that day.

NEWS FROM THE AROUND THE COMMUNITY

Community Support is Key

Many thanks to the Prince William Senior Resource Group that recently hosted their 4th annual ‘Happy Hour with a Purpose’ fundraiser – this year’s event raised funds in support of Fellowship Square and the Lake Ridge Fellowship House community. Held at Arbor Terrace Sudley Manor in Manassas, VA, the evening was complete with a silent auction, sumptuous foods, beverages and great company.  More than $2,000 in funds were raised at this year’s benefit!

Games are Not Just for Children!

Shirley Curry is an 83-year old video gamer known for her YouTube videos featuring herself playing the video game, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim . Curry has almost 500,000 subscribers who watch her videos. When the sequel to Skyrim was announced in the summer of 2018, it was also revealed that Curry would be brought into the game as a non-player character. Using advanced motion-capture and photogrammetry technology, Bethesda Game Studios (the game developer) was able to capture her likeness and incorporate it into the game. Fellowship Square is getting into the game, too! We will incorporate an interactive game at the FS information booth at the Catalogue for Philanthropy ’s upcoming Community Changemakers 2019 event on  October 28th . The goal is to help visitors relate to seniors with limited resources, understand how Fellowship Square plays a supportive role, and engage them in supporting our residents.

Come "play along" at this exciting event from 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm on Monday, October 28 at The Mead Center for American Theater . Enjoy great food & drinks, win unique nonprofit prizes/experiences, and help us win the Changemakers’ Choice Award. We hope you join us to celebrate our recognition by the Catalogue and meet 70+ other nonprofits doing great work in our community. You can register at here . Use the discount code “catalogue” to save $20 off your ticket!  We hope you’ll stop by our Fellowship Square booth! -Article Contributor, Stephen Esse, FS Summer Intern

CHRISTY'S CORNER

The Power of Your Voice

Having a voice in the world around us is an important part of our own well-being and independence. We recently launched our Town Hall events at each Fellowship House so that I could hear directly from the residents and they could hear directly from me and our Board leadership. We held our first Town Hall at Largo Landing Fellowship House at the end of August. More than 50 residents attended the event which lasted more than an hour. This was their first opportunity to voice their concerns and verbalize their support for the way Fellowship Square runs the property. We discussed everything from new management staff and the Largo Landing bus to maintenance and budget issues. This was a good learning experience for both myself and the residents – I learned more about the day to day lives of Fellowship House residents and they learned more about the budgeting process and how decisions are made in determining new projects in and around the property. I’ve already begun working with management to implement some of the ideas and suggestions the residents had, such as additional bus trips and better choices in the vending machines. This Town Hall was led by me and the LLFH Board President, Lynn Thomas . The next Town Hall at LLFH will be next Spring and will be led by me and the FS Board President, Carl Jenkins .  The Town Halls are the first step in developing a better relationship with the residents that call Fellowship House home. We are not just communicating through newsletters and written messages, we are now talking face to face and learning from one another. All those attending the Largo Landing Town Hall agreed that the event was well worth their time and they are looking forward to our next get-together.   We have Town Hall events scheduled for Lake Anne Fellowship House this month and Hunters Woods Fellowship House in October. The Lake Ridge Town Hall event is tentatively planned for November. I’m looking forward to getting to know all our 825 residents and making Fellowship House a place they are continually proud to call their home. I hope you’ll find a way to get involved and be lucky enough to meet our residents. In gratitude,

Christy Zeitz CEO

WELCOME NEW BOARD MEMBER

Shontay Kincaid, DBA, MSW, BSW

Dr. Shontay Kincaid is the founder of and CEO of Strategic Konsulting LLC. Shontay specializes in working with organizational leaders to develop frameworks for management operations that connect work to strategy. She also serves as the Director of Governance and Administration at the American Psychological Association where she leads governance operations and change management efforts for a team of 200. A strong believer in cultivating strong relationships and the power of shared learning within the workplace, Shontay regularly develops internal communities to develop skills to complement core organizational competencies and strategically align workflow processes. Shontay enjoys using her talents to give back to the community, as well as a good game of family bingo. She looks forward to her service on the Largo Landing Fellowship House Board!

FELLOWSHIP SQUARE NEWS

Welcome to the Team!

Fellowship Square is pleased to welcome several new staff members to help support its mission:

Maggie Allen – Office Supervisor Maggie recently transitioned from her temporary status to become a permanent member of the Fellowship Square team.  A native of Northern Virginia, Maggie graduated from James Madison University in 2013 with a degree in Communications. She is a big fan of music and the arts, and considers herself a jack of all trades. Of her many passions, she writes a blog about movies and media; writes and voices for The Storyforge Network; and writes for the monthly magazine of Positive Transitioning Inc. Maggie lives in Manassas with her husband David and their cat Todd.

Diane Beatley – Volunteer Coordinator Diane is a project management, communications and relationship-building professional with diverse experience with local and national nonprofits. In her most recent position, she organized volunteer support at a local church. She is excited about developing volunteerism programs to support the needs of Fellowship Square residents.

Kathleen Harding – Service Coordinator (Lake Ridge Fellowship House)  Kathleen has been serving the needs of the Lake Ridge Fellowship House residents for many years as an independent contractor, and is now joining Fellowship Square as permanent staff. Kathleen is a wife, mother and grandmother. She has worked as a ward clerk in a hospital, as an office assistant to a doctor and also as an assistant manager at Lake Ridge Fellowship House. She feels compelled to help seniors in particular and thanks her grandparents for their influence and love during her formative years.

Cassandra Hawkins – Service Coordinator (Hunters Woods Fellowship House) Cassandra has been working with the residents of Hunters Woods Fellowship House as part of the Nusbaum management team for the last three years, and has now joined Fellowship Square’s team as a staff member. Cassandra does what she does simply because she enjoys helping others. In fact, her name means “helper of men”... even as a child she was always concerned about the welfare of others especially those in need.

Curtis Whitlow – Service Coordinator (Lake Anne Fellowship House) Curtis joins the team at Fellowship Square after working with another local nonprofit organization for the past 14 years. He attended George Mason University and has lived in Reston for 27 years. Always wanting to give back to his own community, he is looking forward to supporting the Lake Anne Fellowship House residents.

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