"We learned about Jill's House while attending McLean Bible Church. We had been looking for ways to serve God for many years and this appealed to us since we had an interest in helping families raising children with intellectual disabilities for some time. We had helped out other charities and we also have a good customer with two children with intellectual disabilities, so all of these experiences led us to Jill's House.  

Richard and Glynn help Jill's House with corporate sponsorship, contributions, and time.

"It has been a gradual process. We own a company, Sugarland Embroidery, so we started our involvement with Jill's House with a corporate sponsorship of the Links for Little Ones Golf Tournament. Next, we decided to sponsor a child for a night on a monthly basis. Our next step was to provide shirts for the staff to make that financial burden a little bit lighter. Now we have jumped in to volunteer on a regular basis, helping out in the kitchen.

"We love working with such a positive and caring staff and believe that even our small efforts enable these families to have some time to rest and enjoy the little things that we take for granted."

To learn more about ways to serve Jill's House, visit jillshouse.org/serve, email sara.potter@jillshouse.org or call 703.639.5671.

When school is closed, we serve as many children as we can, giving their families the time they need to avoid disruption to their work schedules.

"Pal" paid a special visit to his Jill's House friends during spring break 2014.

During spring break 

we had 30 children spend their time with us. They enjoyed fun activities like swimming, playing outdoors, and making arts and crafts. But their favorite part of the week was an Easter egg hunt and a special visit from "Pal."  Visit our Facebook page to see more photos!

Jill's House has earned Certification as a Best Christian Workplace for 2014 by Best Christian Workplaces Institute (BCWI).  Each year BCWI recognizes exceptional organizations whose leadership understands that employee engagement results from a flourishing culture and drives positive ministry outcomes.

When asked what makes Jill's House great, one employee explained, "Having the freedom to serve as God's hands and feet to help children and families while making a living is truly a blessing." Another shared, "The purposeful excellence, compassionate engagement and joyful service that everyone who works here exhibits makes working at Jill's House something that dramatically changes lives for not only the families and children we serve, but also our volunteers, donors and for those of us who have the privilege to work here." Read more.

Over 50 percent of the children Jill's House serves are identified with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). April has been designated National Autism Awareness Month and is a time when organizations and individuals come together to shed light on the need for education, research and understanding for people with ASD.  First celebrated in the 1970s by the Autism Society, National Autism Awareness Month is now recognized across the United States as a time to educate the public about autism.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2010 data shows that one in 68 children has been identified with ASD, compared to one in 150 children in 2000. The number is growing, and the toll on parents is, too:

• It costs $17,000 more per year to care for a child with ASD to cover health care, therapy, family services and caregiver times. For children with severe ASD, the cost increases to $21,000.
• Parents raising children with delayed development experience 60% more stress than the general population does. This added stress comes from the child's behaviors and the sense of lost control.
• Mothers of children with autism are twice as likely to suffer from depression, and the majority score in the mental health "distress range." Read more.