 Special Forces Dad Chooses a Very Special ChildFamily Spotlight: A Military Family
When Jane met her then-future husband, Jamie, she was a 19-year old single mom with a six-month-old daughter, Emily. At the time, Jane and Jamie were both in the Army, on active duty in New York.
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Jamie with beautiful daughter, Emily, a Jill's House guest. |
"When we started dating," explained Jane, "Emily had already been diagnosed with severe cerebral palsy and global developmental delays. But, just as Jamie supported our country, he also signed up to be part of our family! Most people don't have a choice when it comes to being the parent of child with disabilities -- but Jamie did, and he chose us. He chose to be Emily's dad."
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We can only help families like Emily's with help from people like you! Please consider your best possible gift as 2012 comes to a close. Thank you! |
"From the very beginning, Jamie has
stepped in as the most amazing father," continued Jane. "He has been serving our country now for 17 years. I just love the fact that in one moment he can be a super-tough special forces soldier, and the next he can be the most gentle and compassionate father in the world."
During those 17 years, Jane, Jamie and their family have moved eight times. Luckily, they learned about Jill's House last year prior to their move to Virginia, just shortly after Jamie's fourth overseas deployment to Iraq. Read more.
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Michael W. Smith Visits Jill's House!
Christian music artist tours one-of-a-kind facility.
Grammy and Dove Award winner Michael W. Smith toured Jill's House prior to his concert at McLean Bible Church the evening of December 11.
 Mr. Smith also met Jill, joined us for a private dinner, and graciously agreed to pose for photographs, like the one featured here with Jill and her parents, Lon and Brenda Solomon.
We are so grateful to Mr. Smith for taking the time to learn more about Jill's House and the families we serve.
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World Magazine Reaches Hundreds of Thousands for Jill's House
Awareness of need for respite continues to grow.
Jill's House was featured in the December 1, 2012 issue of World Magazine, a Christian publication.
With 100,000 paid subscribers and nearly 150,000 unique visitors to their website each month, the magazine helped reached hundreds of thousands for Jill's House.
The article, entitled "We were exhausted," features the stories of parents of children with disabilities who are finding compassionate help through respite. With a focus on the many challenges families of children with intellectual disabilities face, the article highlighted the history of Jill's House and our mission to provide respite as a compassionate, Christian-based solution to this increasing need.
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Merry Christmas From Jill's House!
Serving children is a precious gift.
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We are so grateful to celebrate special children and renew their families through respite. |
We at Jill's House enter this Christmas season with hearts full of gratitude and love for the children we serve. To the families, we want you to know how thankful we are for the privilege of caring for your precious children, for trusting us, and allowing us to be a part of their lives. They teach us so much and bless us in ways you will never know.
We also want to thank our generous donors and outstanding volunteers for allowing us to continue to serve children. Please join us in praying that God uses us to reach more families in 2013.
We wish all of you a safe, happy, and blessed Christmas!
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Children With Disabilities Have Able Souls
Volunteer Spotlight: Brad Phillips
 | | Children like Andrew enjoy singing, praising and praying in the Jill's House chapel. |
Brad Phillips, better known as "Mr. Brad" during his volunteer time at Jill's House, understands first-hand what it is like to be the parent of a child with disabilities. His adult son has an intellectual disability, which has given Mr. Brad immeasurable compassion and insight to help this servant's heart share the love of Jesus with our young guests. He recently shared his belief that the children we serve are whole, healed, and perfect.
Our Heavenly Father, in His great wisdom, created each of us with the ability to praise, thank and worship Him. As we learn in the book of Revelation, all of the faithful will one day be around the throne of God in worship. It's what Our Lord deserves. It's what all of us were made to do. Children with severe disabilities are no exception. They need to experience worship and learn how to praise and give thanks. These children do not have disabled souls! God sees them today as they are in heaven . . . whole, healed and perfect. My approach is to see all of the friends of Jill's House as God sees them! Read more.
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| Christmas Brunch Sparkles With Support for Jill's House
Guests come together to benefit our children.
The annual Christmas Brunch to Benefit Jill's House, chaired by Mrs. Kelly Stuckey, was a splendid success! Nearly 160 ladies were in attendance on Tuesday, December 11, for an elegant brunch that raised nearly $75,000 to support the children and families that Jill's House serves.
 | | Thank you to Chair Kelly Stuckey for her leadership of this amazing Host Committee for a wonderful event! |
The Christmas season was the perfect backdrop for this festive event, which featured honored guest Mrs. Susan Allen, Former First Lady of Virginia, and was emceed by Mrs. Shannon Bream, the Supreme Court Reporter for the Fox News Channel. Read more.
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Sharing the Light of Christmas
Celebrating our young guests with special gifts.
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Wilton was surprised with his special gift from Jill's House! |
This week, to share the love of Jesus, our team visited the homes of some of the children we serve.
While the children are with us, we pay close attention to their favorite activities and which toys they enjoy most. This helped us in selecting personalized Christmas gifts to let these precious children know just how much we love them, and their families.
We were so blessed to know that God heard our prayers to share this message of love when we received this note of thanks today from one of the many families we serve:
"Thank you for the adorable presents the Jill's House team gave my daughter. It was such a sweet surprise to receive them! She read almost the whole letter you sent by herself. I asked her what Jill's House was saying, and she simply replied 'they love me!'"
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December 20, 2012
Since opening in October, 2010, Jill's House has provided 164,489 hours of respite care. |
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Save the Date!
April 6, 2013: The Big Band Dance to Benefit Jill's House
May 4, 2013: A Celebration of Special Children, an inaugural benefit for Jill's House, at The Ritz-Carlton, Tysons Corner, featuring Amy Grant
June 15, 2013: The Ride for Jill's House, a 100-mile motorcycle ride
October 14, 2013: The Links for Little Ones Golf Tournament, 1757 Golf Club
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Help Us Serve Children in 20 U.S. Locations by 2020
A gracious donor has challenged all of us, together, to match a $1,000,000 gift by March 31, 2013! We need your help to match this generous gift and serve even more children and their families in Virginia, Maryland, Washington D.C. and beyond.
Will you help us get there? Donate now and indicate "20 by 2020 Matching Challenge" in the comment field. Together, we can help meet the need for respite. Thank you! |
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What Our Families Are Saying
"Thank you so very much for the lovely initiative to share a Christmas gift with my child, another gesture that touches our heart.
You are already doing so much for us, giving my son and our entire family an immense gift when he gets to have his very special weekend at Jill's House. This is a gift of rest, peace and joy that no one else, except Jill's House, gives us.
You are a testimony to the true spirit of Christmas, the spirit of unconditional love and compassion, and since the year is coming to an end, my husband and I reflect on how much Jill's House helped us.
Jills House was a shining light in our life in 2012. We hope and pray that Jill's House will grow and stay in our life for a long time..." |
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Be a Part of Our Team
As Jill's House serves more and more children, we continue to need great people.
We are currently hiring for the following positions:
-PT Custodian
-PT Contract CDL Bus Driver
-PT Child Care Specialists
-PT Water Safety Instructors
-PT & FT Registered Nurses (RNs)
-PT & FT Licensed Practical Nurses (LPNs)
View complete listing and job descriptions here.
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