Since opening our doors in 2010, Jill's House has provided 383,999 hours of respite.
 
CFC #22742
United Way #8244
FamiliesYou Lifted This Family Up Through Heart Transplant Recovery
Family Spotlight: Meet the Wests


Gary, Jeremy, Jason and Kristen West stay lifted up through difficult times, thanks to your Jill's House support.
"Our family has had many challenges over the past few years," said Kristen West. "Our son, Jason, has an intellectual disability with no real known diagnosis. He has a history of seizures, trouble growing, eating and moving around. He is also non-verbal. We recently went to a geneticist to see if we could learn anything new, but there is still no answer. 
  
"This summer has been especially challenging. My husband, Gary, had a heart transplant seven-and-a-half years ago and has done well until recently. This summer he was hospitalized and unable to work. Like many other people in our economy, I was laid off four years ago and have struggled ever since to find gainful employment, at times working two jobs. It's all so unpredictable. But there is one constant in our lives: Jill's House. Jill's House brings constant joy to Jason and peace of mind to my husband and me.
  
Jason loved dancing at the Jill's House Joy Prom!
"Jason started going to Jill's House when it first opened. He has enjoyed his teenage years with frequent visits, and he just celebrated his birthday last week with the friends and Jill's House staff he has learned to love. Jason needs help with all basic self-care needs, and sometimes I feel embarrassed to ask the nurses and childcare specialists to do one more thing. But the Jill's House staff is incredibly intuitive and seem to know what he needs before I tell them. It brings me such comfort. And Jason has so much fun! 


 
The Jensens know the power of giving back, especially to children with special needs. We are blessed to have them part of the Jill's House family.
GivingGIVING
Through their generosity and hearts for children with special needs, Jim and Miriam Jensen directly make serving more families at Jill's House possible.

Jim and Miriam Jensen recently answered the call to serve more children by funding Jill's House's transportation needs. Because of the Jensens' generosity and kind hearts, hundreds more families experience the renewal, hope and joy overnight respite brings. 

We recently caught up with Jim and asked "Why do you give?"

"My wife and I first heard about Jill's House while attending McLean Bible Church back when they were having the drive to raise money to fund the construction. Having had family members with special needs and having been around individuals with special needs my whole life, the desire to be a part of Jill's House and its ministry was very strong. 

"There are a lot of charities and organizations that one can contribute to but my wife and I have chosen to focus on ones that are specifically for individuals with special needs. We choose to focus on programs that help those who cannot help themselves. Raising a family is difficult enough as it is. But then to have the pressures and full-time needs associated with raising an individual with intellectual disabilities increases the complexity by an order of magnitude. In many cases the family is struggling just to get by and may not have the resources necessary to provide for the special needs of their child. Jill's House fulfills those needs and has gone above and beyond what most children with special needs have access to. Read more.

serve
Nadya spent her vacation making summer a special time for the children Jill's House serves.
SERVING
College student says serving at Jill's House was a "priceless" way to spend her summer vacation.

"I am entering my senior year at Virginia Tech majoring in biology and Spanish," said Nadya Sidki. "I hope to become a pediatrician so I can guide children to lead happy and healthy lives. I love serving children. So when I was looking for a meaningful way to spend my summer vacation, my mother suggested Jill's House.

"This summer I served as a buddy to many of the children who visit Jill's House. I loved seeing the joy on their faces as they interacted with each other, the childcare specialists and me. It was beautiful to witness how comfortable the children felt just to be themselves around staff and volunteers. They demonstrate such innocence and true friendship, and when we played games or jumped on the moon bounce, the expressions on their faces displayed pure excitement. It was very sweet.

"As a college student, I would not say that I gave up my time for a fun summer. I believe the time I spent with the children at Jill's House was priceless. It is nice to know that children with special needs can have a memorable summer experience in a very positive environment just like other kids, and I really wanted to be a part of that. I hope I was able to help them enjoy their time."

To learn more about opportunities to serve at Jill's House, visit jillshouse.org/serve or call 703.639.5660.

Members of the Jill's House Ambassador Circle met this month to gear up for opportunities to share the Jill's House story this fall.
ImpactIMPACT
The Jill's House Ambassador Circle spreads the word about Jill's House.
 

Do you have a group that needs to hear about what God is doing at Jill's House?  Jill's House Ambassadors are available to share the Jill's House story with companies, churches and groups of all kinds.
 

"We are so grateful for our Jill's House Ambassadors and their dedication to sharing the Jill's House story and mission," said Lee Ann Brownlee, chairperson of the Jill's House Ambassador Circle. "Every Ambassador has a special connection to Jill's House, and that passion shows through in their messages to various groups and organizations. As more people learn about how Jill's House celebrates children with special needs and helps their families receive some much-needed respite care, we believe more people will become actively involved by donating their time, talents and resources to this amazing organization."
 

With United Way and Combined Federal Campaigns gearing up for the fall, so are our Ambassadors. On Wednesday, August 20, members of the Jill's House Ambassador Circle met to learn what's new at Jill's House, including our vision to serve families in 20 cities by the year 2020.


Members include parents Jill's House serves, donors, volunteers and individuals who have demonstrated a heart for Jill's House and the ability and willingness to build awareness for Jill's House through presentations to small groups and attendance at events.

 

If you have a group that wants to hear a story of inspiration, let us know! One of our Ambassadors would welcome the opportunity to share. For more information or to schedule an event, please email claire.waldrop@jillshouse.org or call 703.639.5699.

  

Back to top.  

NEWSnews
National awareness for Jill's House builds thanks to The 700 Club and the Fairfax Times.

More people nationally -- and locally -- are learning about God's work at Jill's House. August was a great month for spreading the word.

On August 8 the Christian Broadcasting Network's The 700 Club featured a special story about Jill's House and how it is changing the face of disability across the country. After watching the episode, one of the parents we served shared her thoughts on our Facebook page: 

"I am standing here with my husband, watching this piece [The 700 Club], and we are both saying out loud, over and over, how incredibly blessed we are to live here, where this OASIS of love and compassion and God's grace is available to our son. I am leaving to pick him up from Jill's House Day Camp right now. He says 'Jill's House' every day when we arrive home because he wants to go back! There is no place like it ... I met Jill the other day in the church building [at McLean Bible Church]. I recognized her and said 'hello' and talked to her for a little while ... It was all I could do not to cry. SHE is the reason it all exists, and SHE is the reason that our little boy gets to go somewhere so special. A haven where he gets to play -- a house full of God's sweetest people where he feels happy, loved, secure and safe (and so do we). Thank you to all the lovely souls that make Jill's House possible, every day."
Watch The 700 Club episode"A Special Haven: Kids, Parents Find Respite at Jill's House" .

That same day, the Fairfax Times published an article titled "Jill's House a welcome neighbor," which shares Jill's House's recent $10,000 award from the Guaranteed Rate company's "Ultimate Neighborhood Give Back Challenge," a nationwide search for organizations that make significant contributions to their communities. The article also shares the history of Jill's House and features Waverly and Oliver McNeil, children served by Jill's House.

Watch The 700 Club episode about Jill's House and read the Fairfax Times article to learn more about the ways Jill's House is sharing God's love, saving marriages and keeping families together.

Charles Mann joins our impressive committee to support families through the 2014 Links for Little Ones Golf Tournament.
eventsEVENTS
Links for Little Ones Golf Tournament committee welcomes Charles Mann.

We are pleased to welcome Charles Mann, three-time Super Bowl champion and CEO of Charles Mann Ventures, to our impressive list of committee members for the 2014 Links for Little Ones Golf Tournament

Chaired by Joe Livingood of Billy Casper Golf, the dedicated committee also includes Fred Baerenz of AOG Wealth Management, Matt Bundy of Cushman Wakefield, Ed Burke of Accenture, Woody Fitzhugh of Woody's Golf, Doug Henderson of Henderson Legal Services and David Schwengel of NVRC.

Enjoy a day of golf and inspiration at the exclusive TPC Potomac at Avenel Farm and give the gift of renewal to families raising children with special needs. 
Join us on Monday, October 13, as we come together to celebrate and honor the courageous families and inspiring children Jill's House serves and enjoy a great day of golf. TPC Potomac at Avenel Farm, a familiar stop on PGA tours, is the championship course for this year's Links for Little Ones Golf Tournament.  

The event includes lunch, a reception and dinner, an awards ceremony and exceptional giveaways. But the greatest gift is the part you play in celebrating special children and renewing their families.

 Sponsor the event or sign up now! For more information, visit jillshouse.org/golf, email teresa.lee@jillshouse.org or call Teresa Lee at 703.639.5670.

What Families Are Saying

"We are going to frame a note that Jill's House childcare specialist Kelsi sent home yesterday. It highlighted our son Riley's day, and several of the things she mentioned are things that WE know Riley loves, but seeing that the Jill's House staff picked up on and responded to those interests (though Riley can't say much) is SO impressive. I was reading the note to my husband (who travels every Monday through Friday for work), and when I finished, he said, 'We can never move.' I have seen a marked improvement in confidence and independence in Riley, and I know it has come from all the encouraging interactions with the staff at Jill's House. What a remarkable place and what remarkable people. I am sad thinking about how much Riley will miss camp when summer ends, but we are SO, SO grateful for all the experiences that he has had with Jill's House and all the sweet souls that shared their time and themselves with him this summer. THANK YOU. God bless you all."

Upcoming Events
Sunday, October 5

Once each year Jill's House is open to the public. Even if you have toured the building before, bring a friend to introduce them to the miracle of Jill's House.



Monday, October 13

This year's premier golf event will be held at TPC Potomac at Avenel Farm. Be inspired and have a great day of fun while helping families raising children with special needs. 


Sunday, October 26

Support Team Jill's House and help the marathon and 10K runners raise funds to support courageous families and the special children Jill's House serves.



For a complete listing of events, visit jillshouse.org/events, email teresa.lee@jillshouse.org or call 703.639.5670.
Do You Know Any Great Nurses?

Jill's House currently has openings for part-time registered nurses (RNs) and licensed practical nurses (LPNs). We are looking for nurses who feel a particular call from God to work with children with special needs and to love them as Jesus does. Applicants must have a demonstrated track record of professional excellence. For full job description and requirements, please visit our employment page at jillshouse.org.

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Jill's House | 703-639-5660
PO Box 9104
McLean, VA 22102

CFC #22742 - United Way #8244