 Father's Day Is 24/7 for Devoted DadFamily Spotlight: The Garveys
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View this video to learn more about how Jill's House renews the Garvey family.
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"I sometimes get pressure from people to institutionalize my son," said Michael Garvey about his teenage son, Christopher, who has cerebral palsy. "I know they see my struggles and want what's best for me, but putting my son in a home is not an option. Thank God for Jill's House, McLean Bible Church and my friends. They have all been a tremendous support to me. The way they love and care for Christopher at Jill's House justifies my decision to keep him with me. I don't get that anywhere else. I am his father, and I need to take care of my son."
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Michael lifted Christopher out of his wheelchair at the Jill's House Joy Prom so his son could know what it's like to dance.
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Michael is now a single dad, but that wasn't always the case. He and his wife divorced when Christopher was just four years old. "For a time we had joint custody of Christopher and my daughter, Katie, who is now 22," explained Michael. "But in time my ex-wife remarried, had a new baby, and moved to South Carolina, and, in 2010, I was given full custody of Christopher. Having him full-time was a major change, but a good change. Christopher can't talk, can't walk, and has a hearing loss. He can, however, crawl, laugh and communicate in his own way. Even though it's extremely hard to care for him, it's very fulfilling." Read more.
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Photo of the Month: Jill's House OXYGEN3 Team from North Carolina Youth group from Colonial Baptist Church helps serve children at Jill's House Blue Ridge.
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Scott Wylie, leader of this Jill's House OXYGEN3 team from Colonial Baptist Church in Cary, North Carolina, described the experience at Jill's House Blue Ridge as "world-class". To learn how your youth group or other small group can serve Jill's House, visit oxygen3.org, email oxygen3@jillshouse.org or call 703.639.5667.
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Jill's House Lake Arrowhead Launches in Southern California
Jill's House grows to serve children across the country.
As part of our mission to serve as many families as possible, Jill's House Lake Arrowhead, located in Southern California, launched the weekend of June 21-22 with volunteer support from interns at Joni and Friends.
 "We were blessed to serve children with intellectual disabilities, as well as some of their typical siblings," said Ashlyn Gruss, local program supervisor for Jill's House Lake Arrowhead. "All of the children did low ropes courses, had a campfire, and enjoyed water activities, and some of them even climbed a rock wall. But the coolest thing was how the kids and their siblings encouraged each other to succeed. Two little boys with autism were playing the piano, and one thought he messed up. The other encouraged him on, saying 'Don't give up! You can do anything you put your mind to.'" Read more.
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Who Is the Best Nurse You Know?
Jill's House seeks nursing director who loves God and children with special needs.
Jill's House has been blessed to have a phenomenal -- and miraculous! -- safety record. To continue to build our medical team, we are hiring a nursing director. This person will work with our Medical Director and Chief Administrative Officer to ensure that children receive exceptional medical care during their stays at Jill's House.
If you know someone who loves God, is passionate about children with special needs, and wants to manage our great team of nurses, please invite them to learn more.
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Jill's House Partners with Special Needs Family Fund
Making respite affordable for as many families as possible.
Jill's House is blessed to partner with the Special Needs Family Fund to ensure that all families, including those experiencing financial hardship, can receive the gift of respite. Jill's House strives to make respite as affordable as possible for families, subsidizing an average of 85 percent of each stay. Still, some families struggle with the remaining portion.
To ensure that respite is available to as many families as possible, friends of Jill's House organized the Special Needs Family Fund to pay the family's portion of the cost of respite when financial hardship is limiting a family's ability to experience Jill's House. The Fund receives individual recommendations for support and approves applications on a revolving basis.
One hundred percent of donations to the Fund go directly to aiding the neediest Jill's House families. Your involvement is welcome and appreciated. To contribute to the fund, visit the site or contact Denise Daffron at denise.daffron@jillshouse.org or 703.639.5663 for more information.
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The 5th Annual Ride for Jill's House Raises Nearly $70,000
Hundreds come out to support children with special needs.
In preparing for the 5th Annual Ride for Jill's House, our team prayed for good weather, open hearts and safety for the more than 200 motorcyclists who participated in this 100-mile ride through the Virginia countryside on Saturday, June 15. Our prayers were answered, and then some!
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We are so grateful to the riders and sponsors who participated in the Ride and helped raise much needed funds for Jill's House. |
Chaired by Joe Livingood, Senior Vice President, Billy Casper Golf, and leader of "On HIS ROAD" Motorcycle Ministry, the event raised nearly $70,000 of much-needed revenue for Jill's House. Committee members Mike Cauldwell and Jim Jensen joined the effort with other corporate partners to enable Jill's House to serve more children with special needs and provide relief and renewal to the extraordinary families who love them.
To learn more about next year's event, scheduled for June 7, 2014, email events@jillshouse.org or call Teresa Lee at 703.639.5670.
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Acuity Named Finalist for 2013 Jefferson Award
Jill's House's corporate partner recognized for community giving.
 Acuity, Inc., one of Jill's House's corporate partners, was recently named a finalist for the prestigious Jefferson Award, a national nonprofit program that was formed 40 years ago to create a Nobel Prize for public service. The Jefferson Award now recognizes companies that build community service into their corporate culture.
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Acuity's "Team Jill's House" ran the Marine Corps Marathon and helped raise funds for the children we serve.
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Jill's House is blessed to be the organization that receives the largest gifts from Acuity. "When you are at Jill's House, you see the smile on the children's faces, and you can't help but want to do more," said Rui Garcia, Acuity's CEO, in a recent Washington Business Journal article.
Read the complete article about how this Northern Virginia firm is making a difference for our community.
To learn more about ways your company or organization can partner with Jill's House to support the families we serve, please email sheila.joy@jillshouse.org or call 703.639.5673.
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Davis Center Students Graduate
Jill's House is grateful to help prepare special students for independent living.
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Samuel was proud to show off his Certificate of Appreciation from Jill's House. |
One of the brightest parts of our days here at Jill's House is when we get to see the students from the Davis Center, a Fairfax County school focused on vocational and independent living skills for students with disabilities, cheerfully working to keep Jill's House clean.
For the past year, the students have come to Jill's House to learn workplace skills. As the school year came to a close, we recognized the graduating students with a special reception and Certificates of Appreciation. "These kids have such a heart for what they do," said Elizabeth Valdes, a childcare specialist and custodian at Jill's House. "They are some of the hardest workers I know, and a real joy to be around. We are so grateful for the time we had with them, and really hate to see them go. But I know they will all be successful and continue to bring others joy as they move on with their lives."
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Jill's House Summer Camp in Full Swing
We are honored to make summer a special time for the children we serve.
The halls of Jill's House are full of laughter and fun this summer. Jill's House Summer Camp kicked off on June 17, and we are serving more than 40 children every day. The days have been filled with visits from therapy animals, water activities, and even birthday parties for our guests and the friends they have made here at Jill's House.
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Eddie made a pretty sea turtle during arts and craft time at Jill's House Summer Camp.
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"June 21 was a banner day for Jill's House," said Cameron Doolittle, president and CEO of Jill's House. "We served 90 children across four programs in three locations. Forty-three children were here that day for Summer Camp, 30 came for our Weekend Program at Tysons, 10 attended Jill's House Blue Ridge with support from Jill's House OXYGEN3 team from North Carolina, and we had seven join our first weekend at Jill's House Lake Arrowhead with support from volunteers from Joni and Friends. We thank God for entrusting so many lives and families to our care."
To help cover the cost of providing Summer Camp activities, please consider donating $25 per month, which will cover an entire week of swimming for a child this summer, plus fun activities throughout the year. Visit jillshouse.org/donate and include "Summer Camp" in the comment section.
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Volunteer Spotlight: Joanne Shin
A Jill's House volunteer whose blessings overflow.
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Joanne in front of the new Jill's House Garden Path.
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JH: Tell us a little bit about yourself, Joanne.
Joanne: I am a rising 12th grader at Thomas Wooten High School. I would be a rising sophomore in college, but I had an aneurysm rupture and subsequent strokes in the fall of 2006, so I am a little bit behind. I was hospitalized for six months, but I survived and could talk and smile again. I am creative and like to think I have a "cup-is-half-full" personality, and I especially love and enjoy helping people. I have been painting since 2008, and I love to sing songs, especially Christian songs. I also write poems and my "Value of Self" poem won the Maryland PTA Reflection Award in 2013. I also love swimming and skiing, where my assistants help me steer bi-ski. Read more.
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June 28, 2013
Since opening in October 2010, Jill's House has provided 228,099 hours of respite care. |
August 17, 2013: Come see Jill's House at DC Fest featuring The News Boys, Patriot Center, GMU
October 13, 2013: Fourth Annual Open House: 12 noon - 6 pm
October 14, 2013: Links for Little Ones Golf Tournament, 1757 Golf Club
October 27, 2013: Team Jill's House - Marine Corps Marathon - Only 13 slots left! Deadline is July 31 or until slots are filled.
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What Our Families Are Saying
"Our son is enjoying chapel and learning the Bible stories. He feels very comfortable and safe going to Jill's House. When I was leaving two days earlier to travel, he said, 'Can you bring me to Jill's House early?' That speaks so highly of your care."
"Thank you for having a male work with our son. He really seems to bond with the male childcare specialists because he has so many females in his life -- mom, teachers, therapists, etc. -- so it's nice to have men also work with him. Thank you again."
"We are so glad we have a relationship with Jill's House. This was our daughter's third overnight stay. She absolutely loves it. She comes home tired, but my husband says that is what camp is all about! We are looking forward to more overnight stays in the future and she CAN'T WAIT FOR SUMMER CAMP!"
"You do an amazing job! Thank you so much for giving us time with our other kids, and each other!"
"Thank you for the kindness, friendly smiles and caring nature of your staff. My child really seems to feel like Jill's House is his home away from home."
"Thank you, as always, for being a safe and loving place for my daughter to go so that I can get a break, give time and attention to my other daughter, and recharge. Thank you!!!!!"
"We are so grateful to all the staff and volunteers at Jill's house for all you do! We are so happy that our daughter seems to really feel it is a home away from home now. I appreciate all the detailed reports you give us since she doesn't speak and cannot tell us about her weekend. We especially loved the photo of her with the therapy dog. We don't know how to tell the volunteers thank you, but please thank them for us from the bottom of our hearts." |
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Be a Part of Our Team
As Jill's House serves more children, we continue to need great people.
We are currently hiring for the following positions:
-FT Nursing Director
-PT Custodian
-PT Bus Driver
-PT Childcare 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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