June 2015 - Langley Residential Support Services

The Langley Letter
LangleyaResidential
Support Services,
We make
difference
in people’s lives . . .
Inc.
June 2015
Newsletter
Inside this Issue . . .
Doug Tees’ First Year
as Board Chair
Braddock Supervisor
Cook Comes to Dinner
A Visit from Long-Time
Supporter RLM CPA
Volunteer Spotlight:
Junior League of
Washington
Newsletter Date
Volume 1, Issue 1
Betsy’s By-line . . .
Dear Friends,
Summer is finally here and I find myself reflecting back on the past few months...
Gratitude has been a recurring theme in my thoughts as we discussed what stories
to include in this issue.
I’m so grateful for having had the pleasure of knowing Mary Alice, one of the
original Langley consumers who passed away too soon in January. I’m impressed
and touched by the dedication of Junior League of Washington volunteers who
produce a weekly Literacy Club program that is the highlight of many of our
consumers’ week. I’m very appreciative that Braddock Supervisor John Cook and
Karen Ioffredo of RLM CPA took time out of their busy days to visit two of our
group homes. I could go on and on.
But mostly, I’m thankful and humbled by the generosity of supporters like you who
help Langley continue to make a difference in people’s lives by coming to our
events, volunteering your time, and making donations
to keep our programs viable. We honestly could not do
it without you!
Gratefully,
Remembering Mary
Alice
Langley’s Very Own
Junior League Ladies
Langley Goes Back to
the 70’s at the Boogie
Bowl
A Special Silver and
Stone Jewelry Show
Langley’s Spring Picnic
2070 Chain Bridge Road
Suite G55
Vienna, VA 22182
(703)893-0068
www.LangleyResidential.org
Betsy
Betsy Schatz, Executive Director
LEEAP UPDATE: Assistance to
Consumers Exceeds $37,000
Since it became operational in January 2012, the Langley Emergency Economic
Assistance Program (LEEAP) has provided over $37,429 in assistance to help our
consumers weather a financial crisis.
These men and women have limited income potential. Changes to a federal law
governing pay at workshop job sites for those with intellectual disabilities has
caused many of our consumers to no longer receive compensation for the work
they perform. Most of them are trying to seek other employment, but they are now
in their 40s and 50s and they no longer have the strength and stamina necessary
(Continued on page 2)
Because everyone deserves
the chance to live a rich, full life . . .
page 2
The Langley Letter
June 2015 Newsletter
LEEAP UPDATE: Assistance to Consumers
Exceeds $37,000
(Continued from page 1)
to fill many of the available positions. Some
individuals have held their workshop jobs since they
aged out of the public education system at 21 and
have known no other work environment. A few
others are experiencing the beginning symptoms of
dementia/Alzheimer’s, and it is unlikely that they
will be able to learn a new work routine.
Unfortunately, their families are not always able to
fill in the gaps in terms of financial support.
Through generous grants and contributions from
people like you, LEEAP has enabled Langley to help struggling consumers keep their housing, pay for
transportation, receive necessary medical and dental services, and ensure that basic needs (such as food, clothing,
etc.) are met. In some cases, it has been the factor that has made all the difference.
From the bottom of our hearts, THANK YOU for your continued generosity in helping us provide a financial safety
net to the people we serve!
Doug Tees’ First Year as Board Chair
Doug Tees is settling into his role as the Chair of Langley’s Board of Directors,
although he admits, “It felt strange at first, being the one to lead the meetings
and call the votes.” He took on the role last September when past-Chair, Carly
Coho, finished her term.
Doug brings a lot of passion for people with disabilities to his new position.
Experience, too. His first job out of college was as a counselor at a group
home for adults with intellectual disabilities. The organization was very
similar to Langley with three levels of service: supervised group homes, semisupervised group homes and drop-in counselors. He has also been a
counselor for an organization that supported people with mental health issues
and served on the board of another non-profit that, like Langley, provided
Board Chair Doug Tees
housing and support services to people with intellectual disabilities. A
common thread through all of his past work/board experiences, as well as with
Langley, is a desire to enable people with disabilities to be as independent and self-sufficient as possible.
Doug’s service on Langley’s Board of Directors coincided with the start of Carly’s tenure as Board Chair. He
was impressed by the focus on education in her term. In his term, he would like to see continuation of that
with the goal of the board becoming more proficient at:



How to build out our network as a board
How to increase the visibility of Langley’s footprint in the community
How to make Langley top-of-mind with local decision-makers
Carly’s term also saw the development of a strategic plan for Langley with the main goals of keeping the
organization viable and continuing service to our constituency. While Doug enjoys executing that plan, he is
also focused on preparing a succession plan for the Executive Director position and developing strategies for
future needs such as Aging in Place. Heading into his second year as Chair, he feels that Langley is in a very
strong position right now.
The Langley Letter
page 3
June 2015 Newsletter
Braddock Supervisor John Cook Comes to Dinner
Langley has two group homes and approximately seven community support consumers residing in the Braddock
District of Fairfax County Supervisor John Cook. In early April, Supervisor Cook took time out of his busy schedule
to visit with some of his constituents with intellectual disabilities living at one of the homes.
Supervisor Cook visits one of the homes with Langley Board Member Ellen Gray and Executive Director Betsy Schatz
Four of the five men who live there – John, Alex, Wayne and Paul – were proud to give Supervisor Cook a tour of
their home. The men have lived there since 2010 when Langley purchased the home, and they had helped pick out
the furniture themselves.
After the tour, Supervisor Cook had dinner with the residents and got to learn about their lives. Many of the men
work and shared details about their jobs. One takes public transportation to work and his volunteer activities.
Another is the captain of Langley’s Special Olympics Cavaliers basketball team. Our consumers enjoyed the
opportunity to interact with their District Supervisor.
Thank you for visiting us, Supervisor Cook!
Visitors to Langley . . .
A Visit From Long-Time Supporter RLM CPA
This February, Karen Ioffredo of Ross, Langan and McKendree (RLM CPA) visited the men who live at Langley’s
group home near Tyson’s Corner. RLM CPA is a long-time supporter of Langley and Karen has been Langley’s
accountant for 20 years.
Karen was able to stop by on a Monday afternoon
just as the residents Chris, Richard and Tom
returned home from their workday and began
preparing a dinner of meatball subs with their
counselor. During her visit, Karen had the chance to
speak to the men about their jobs. She learned that
they work at different locations and their duties
vary. One of the men works in a mail-room, while
another has front desk duties that include childcare
assistance at a local gym. They were also excited to
tell her about the Special Olympics sports that they
play. Langley has three basketball teams and while
they are not all on the same team, they practice
together every Wednesday.
These men are in Langley’s Supportive Residential
Program. Consumers in this program do not require
Karen Ioffredo with residents and Counselor Paul
full-time assistance, but still need some support. To
meet the needs of these individuals, our counselors are
there during the critical transitional hours after work and before bedtime during the week – as well as
approximately 12 hours a day on weekends.
Thank you RLM CPA for recognizing the needs of adults with intellectual disabilities in Fairfax County and being
such a strong supporter of Langley! We appreciate all that you have done for us over the years!
The Langley Letter
page 4
June 2015 Newsletter
Volunteer Spotlight: The Junior League of
Washington
Langley’s relationship with the Junior League of Washington (JLW) goes
back more than 25 years! In the 1990s, they partnered with the Junior
League of Northern Virginia to help Langley fund their second group home.
Since then, one of Langley’s residences for women has always been named
“Junior League House”.
Junior League Volunteers provided
activities at the Langley Spring Picnic
For the past 15 years, JLW has sponsored a Literacy Club for the individuals
with intellectual disabilities Langley serves. These people face special
challenges in their daily lives, so the Literacy Club focuses on providing
practical lessons geared to improving functional literacy, and reinforcing life
skills the consumers learn from working with their Langley counselors.
Literacy Club runs from September – May, meeting one day each week.
Planning for each term begins in June and runs throughout the summer. An
average of 25 JLW members volunteer with Langley; many for multiple
years. JLW volunteers come back to Literacy Club year after year because
they love Langley’s consumers. Literacy Club volunteer Somelea Neville said
“It’s the highlight of my week.” Langley consumers enjoy Literacy Club, too.
Each term begins with a dinner at a Langley house and the residents proudly
welcome the JLW ladies to their home.
In addition to Literacy Club, the JLW coordinates other activities with
Langley such as a Spring Picnic held this past April. Langley Executive
Director Betsy Schatz says, “The women of JLW are WONDERFUL. From the committee chairs on down,
the enthusiasm for the Literacy Club program is infectious and inspiring.”
Thank you, JLW, for your support and volunteer service to Langley. YOU ROCK!
“It’s (Literacy Club) the highlight of my week”-JLW Volunteer Somelea Neville
Remembering Mary Alice
This past January, one of the original Langley consumers, Mary Alice
Brennan passed away. A member of the Langley family from 1985 – 2010,
we remember her fun-loving, easy-going manner and the smile she always
had on her face.
She was funny, hard-working, friendly and extremely considerate. A
member of the janitorial crew at the Pentagon, Mary Alice was there during
the September 11, 2001 attack – and she made sure she called Langley
Executive Director Betsy Schatz to let her know she was okay.
Mary Alice was one of the first five Langley residents. Over the course of her
time with us, she started in our residential program, moved to the
community support program when she lived independently, and then moved
back to our Junior League group home before leaving Langley in 2010.
Mary Alice at a Langley event
She was a beloved member of a large family that included her in everything
– and she loved being part of it all. We wish them comfort in their loss.
The Langley Letter
page 5
June 2015 Newsletter
Langley’s Very Own Junior League Ladies
Jennifer, Lauren, Tracy and Terri are Langley’s Junior League ladies. They live together in the supervised group
home we refer to as Junior League House. Since the mid-1990’s, one of our residences has been given that title to
honor the Junior League of Washington and Northern Virginia who helped us with the down payment on our
second group home.
Terri is one of the original four Langley consumers, and Tracy has been with Langley for a long time, too. All of
these women have lived together in the home for over four years. They enjoy a nice companionship and like doing
things together with their counselors in the evenings and on the weekends. Tracy’s favorite thing to do is to “go
out after dinner and relax together.” IHOP is a preferred dinner location for Terri. The ladies also take part in
Literacy Club and bowling together.
All of the ladies have jobs or participate in workshops. Jennifer works at Goodwill. She enjoys interacting with the
management and people who come into the store. Part of her job involves working with the racks of clothing that
come on the store floor. Lauren is currently between jobs. She recently participated in an employment workshop
where she is being taught cooking skills. Recent dishes she learned to make are green bean casserole and rice.
Tracy and Terri are involved with the Service Source program.
As with any household, the women have separate interests, too. Jennifer likes to play iPad games, do word
searches, work on puzzle books and listen to music. Luke Bryan is her favorite artist. She also enjoys “working
with her counselors on e-mail.” Lauren loves to dance. She is preparing for an upcoming recital with her jazz
dance class. She also plays on one of Langley’s Special Olympics basketball teams. Tracy and Terri both enjoy
doing chores and keeping their home a relaxing, comfortable place to live.
Thank you, ladies, for giving us a glimpse into your lives!
Left to right: Jennifer, Lauren, Tracy and Terri on their way to a dance
Left to right: Tracy, Terri and Jennifer on a
weekend outing to the Reston Zoo
Terri and Tracy at Langley’s Spring Picnic
Jennifer works with Counselor Dana cooking
Chicken Parmesan
page 6
The Langley Letter The Langley Letter
Newsletter
JuneJune
20152015
Newsletter
A Special Silver and Stone Jewelry Party
On April 23rd, Silver and Stone Artisan Jewelry hosted a trunk show on behalf
of Langley and donated fifty percent of proceeds to us! The trunk show was
held at Langley’s Junior League home. It
was a lovely evening of socializing, as well
as, a great opportunity to make beautiful
additions to our guests’ jewelry
collections.
We are very grateful to Silver and Stone
Artisan Jewelry’s proprietor Martha
Board Members Melissa Smarr & Sara Mariska
Smith for choosing Langley as one of her
charity beneficiaries this year. Martha lives in Grantham, PA and learned
about Langley through Board Member Kelly Ameen. In addition to the April
trunk show, Martha has donated jewelry to Langley’s annual Wine/Beer
Tasting and Benefit Auction.
Thank you Silver and Stone Artisan Jewelry for your generosity!
If you are interested in learning more about Silver and Stone Artisan
Jewelry’s one-of-a-kind pieces please visit www.Etsy.com and search for the
SilverandStoneArt Etsy shop or e-mail Martha at [email protected].
Langley Events . . .
Langley Goes Back to the 70’s at
the Boogie Bowl
Langley’s annual Langley Bowl was held on Sunday, May 3rd. A big thank you
to our Independence Sponsors RLM CPA and the Beyer Automotive Group!
Thank You to our 2015
Boogie Bowl Sponsors!
Independence Level
The Beyer Automotive Group
Ross, Langan, & McKendree LLP
Confidence Level
AH & T Insurance
CommonHealth Chiropractic
Developing Copy
The Doo Woppers
Fairfax Civitans
Betsy Schatz Family
Sensei Enterprises
Judy & Herb Yolles Family
This year we embraced our 70’s Boogie Bowl theme by doing “Cosmic
Bowling” under a disco ball! Approximately 100 bowlers participated –
including many of our consumers who bowled beside teams of local
businesses, civic associations and Langley supporters. Children who attended
were captivated by the creations of a balloon artist.
Congratulations to our Highest Scoring Player, Jo Pasko, and to our Highest
Scoring Team from defending champion Bailey’s Crossroads Rotary Club
(John Holtzclaw, MC Kulick, Lisa Pettipas, Don Wellen and Donna Wellen). A
very special thank you to General Manager Rick Brooks at Bowl AmericaShirley, who is retiring this year. Rick helped us establish our annual Langley
Bowl. You will be missed!
If you would like to join in the fun next year mark your calendars for Sunday,
March 13th!
Life Skills
Marv & Linda Kidder Family
Walsh, Colucci, Lubeley & Walsh
Social Skills
Sara Mariska
Angela Riesterer
Melissa Smarr
Highest Scoring Player Jo
Don Wellen, MC Kulick, John Holzclaw, Donna Wellen & Lisa
Pettipas
The Langley Letter
page 7
June 2015 Newsletter
Langley’s Spring Picnic
This April Langley hosted a picnic for Langley’s consumers and their families.
Langley partnered with the Junior League of Washington , who provided recreational
activities for everyone to participate in such as corn hole, decorating cookies and
activity books. The Langley Picnic was a fun day of socializing and catching up
especially for Langley’s consumers. Some of them had not seen each other in years!
Thank you to everyone who came out! We hope you enjoyed this fun day!
Langley’s Picnic at Lake Fairfax Park
Langley Staff & Board Members enjoy lunch
Making new friends
Playing whiffle ball
Dancing!
Working on activity books
Consumers enjoying the cook out!
Playing corn hole
THANK
YOU!
Special thanks to the
following people and
organizations for their
recent contributions
to Langley:
Kelly & Jeff Ameen
Ron & Ann Bachand
Allan Dennis Baken
Rose & Richard Bates
Ken & Linda Belisle
Donald Beyer, Sr.
Sherry Beyer
Dalton Blevins
David & Diana Boyd
William Brennan, Jr.
David & Mary Beth Busby
Sibyl Carrick
Virginia Chiu
John & Marcia Clukey
Steven Cohen
Carly Coho
Marcia Crockett
Pamela & David Danner
George & Rebecca Davis
Sally Deeley
Todd Dempsey
Jenn Dietz
Doug & Nicole Duvall
Glenn Fatzinger
Dorothy Eide
Debra & Kent Eshelman
Roger Falls
Glenn Fatzinger
Cathy Feyh
Karin Fitzgerald
Foundation for Children with Disabilities
Laurie Gildbreath
Ardin & Anne Marie Goss
Eileen & Philip Graham
Richard Graul
Ellen Gray
Max Gross
Jeannine Hagan
Clint & Kathy Hall
William Harper
Dorothy Hassan
Kim Haught
Melissa Hebert
Thomas & Elizabeth Hefferon
John Holtzclaw
Nancy Hopkins & J.J. Volkert
Tim Hopkins
Richard Hutcheson
Donna Ioffredo & P.J. Hambrick
Karen & Mike Ioffredo
Virginia Joyce
Junior League of Washington
Carol Kafka
Kyle Kafka
Corinne Kaplan
Sandy Kessinger
Mehrangiz Khanizadeh
Ken & Suzanne Kidder
Marv & Linda Kidder
Frances Kline
Judith Korf
M.C. Kulick
Donna Leaman
Jean Lemasuier
Marilyn Lewis
Nancy Macleod
Sean & Bridget Manley
Sara Mariska
Cristy Marshall
Tim & Marisa McCaffrey
Barbara Miller
Christine Monett
Kathleen Partoyan
The Joey Pizzano Memorial Fund
THANK
YOU!
Ted & Charlene Przybyla
James Rist
Martha Rogoyski
Rotary Club of McLean
Rotary Club of Vienna
Henry Sakai
Mrs. Tomiko Sakai
Capt. T.L. Sandin USN (Ret.)
John Simek & Sharon Nelson
Fred & Margaret Sibley
John & Sally Simms
Melissa Smarr
Alice Snitzer
Gale & Anne Sommers
Ken & Alice Starr
Lynne Strobel
Lynn Tadlock
Doug & Debra Tees
Mike & Carrie Toreno
Michelle Vesole
Julie Vogelman
Betsy Walsh
Mary & Dick Weaver
Kenneth & Laura Webb
Don & Donna Wellen
Diane Winter
Charles Wolfe & Virginia Howard
Nathan Work
Judy Yolles
Judy & Duane Zieg
The Langley Letter
page 8
June 2015 Newsletter
Save the Date!
WHAT:
Annual Fall Wine/Beer Tasting & Benefit Auction
WHEN: Saturday, November 14th from 5pm – 8:30pm
WHERE: The McLean home of Fairfax County Supervisor John Foust &
Dr. Marilyn Jerome
Please contact Angela Riesterer, Development Manager, at
[email protected] or 703-893-0068 ext. 1800 to purchase tickets and
find out about exciting sponsorship opportunities!
#49881
2070 Chain Bridge Road Ste G55
Vienna, VA 22182
We make a difference in people’s lives . . .