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Fellowship Square improves the lives of older adults who struggle to make ends meet by providing them with affordable housing and supportive services. |
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Lake Anne Fellowship House
Farewell Tour
Resident Life
Christy’s Corner
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New Strategic Plan
Volunteer News
Sponsor Spotlight – Southway
Welcome New Interns
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The Lake Anne Fellowship House Farewell Tour has Launched! |
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This spring, the 313 seniors who call Lake Anne Fellowship House home will move from its 50+ year old building to a brand-new state-of-the-art residence across the street. In January, Fellowship Square officially kicked off “farewell” programming in preparation for this upcoming move to recognize and say goodbye to the aging building that has been an integral part of the Reston community since its construction in 1970 as one of the first high rises and the first affordable senior housing property in Reston. The 240-unit building will be demolished, then redeveloped, once residents are relocated to the new property being constructed in collaboration with Enterprise Community Development. Read more about the history of Lake Anne and our plans for the future.
As a long-time member of the Reston community, the changes for Lake Anne Fellowship house have also been recognized in this recent article in Reston Now. |
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February was Filled with
Love and Laughter
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Lake Ridge Fellowship House
Lake Ridge Fellowship House resident Earnestine T. and her doggie Prince enjoyed Valentine’s Day with a hot cocoa and tea bar.
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Largo Landing Fellowship House
Largo Landing Fellowship residents had an enjoyable Valentine’s Day with a visit from the Girl Scouts and a game of BINGO.
At right, Reverend B. with the Girl Scouts.
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Hunters Woods Fellowship House
Residents participated in a virtual health seminar on heart arrhythmias and exercise with Dr. Chen.
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Lake Anne Fellowship House
Mr. Jo K. received Valentine’s Day presents made by children through Kids Give Back. The children and their families made enough Valentine’s Day gifts for every Lake Anne resident.
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Zero Tolerance for Loneliness |
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The last couple of years have been very challenging for everyone. At Fellowship Square, we’ve seen the brutal impact a worldwide pandemic has on older adults. The early months in lockdown, while implemented to slow the spread of COVID-19, resulted in increased episodes of depression and hopelessness. And, once you start down the path of despair, it becomes harder and harder to pull yourself out of it.
Those of us who work in the senior living field know that social isolation is not uncommon among older adults. Whether someone becomes physically unable to do the things they used to do or they lose touch with friends and family, social isolation and loneliness have long been a problem with no easy solution. The National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine published an article about a doctor’s perspective on COVID’s impact on older adults and their increased feelings of loneliness and isolation. The feelings we have all experienced during the pandemic has had a more negative impact on the quality of life for seniors.
From the early days of the pandemic to today, Fellowship Square has been working on keeping our residents safe, comfortable, and connected to the outside world. With just a few bumps along the way, we were able to move many of our programs and activities to a virtual platform. The problem is that most of our residents had never been online much less connected via Zoom or any other application on a smart device – and most do not even own a smart device.
Through a generous donation from Volara Corp., we now have enough Google Nest Hub Max devices to distribute to any resident that wants one. We have equipped our buildings with free Wi-Fi throughout the property and will provide each resident training and information on how to use these new devices. The Google Nest Hub Max comes preloaded with a only a few applications but it is a perfect way to introduce the internet – and smart devices – to seniors.
We are committed to stamping out loneliness and creating ways for even the most quiet and shy resident to connect with others – a neighbor, a staff member or even a volunteer who wants to be their friend.
If you’d like to get involved in this effort, please reach out to us today. We need many caring individuals who are willing to help make these connections with the older generation and let them know they are not alone; that they are a valuable part of our community; and that they are loved.
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Moving Forward with a Five-Year Plan |
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Fellowship Square’s board of directors recently completed a comprehensive strategic planning process to set goals and prepare for the organization’s growth in next 5 years.
Highlights of the five-year plan include:
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Exploration of adding more affordable housing communities that provide a variety of activities and services for older adults.
- Expanded services and support that focus on four areas of wellness: physical, spiritual, social, and intellectual, and that include new technologies, information and activities that meet residents’ needs.
- Strategies to maintain diverse and reliable income streams that support the lives of our residents and the organization overall.
- A “best in class” organizational infrastructure that allows Fellowship Square to have a greater impact on those we serve.
Join us as we continue to make a positive impact on the lives of older adults with limited incomes… volunteer, donate, engage!
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Hunters Woods Lunar New Year
Safety Supply Distributions
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On February 1st, resident volunteers at Hunters Woods Fellowship House joined Service Coordinator Jane Kung in celebrating the lunar new year by distributing health and safety kits to everyone in the community. The Korean Community Service Center of Greater Washington generously donated 300 hand sanitizers and Cornerstones donated 4,000 disposable face masks. We are grateful to our partners and cheerful volunteers!
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From left to right: Mrs. Mary C. brings a safety kit to resident Weihua M. |
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From left to right: Mr. Songhua Y. receives his kit from volunteers Mrs. Gengfeng P. and Mrs. Xueli Z. |
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Fellowship Square is proud to partner with Southway and appreciates their sponsorship support at our Winter Wonderland fundraiser in 2021!
“Southway is a regional construction company and truly honored to be working with Fellowship Square on the multiphase renovation to Hunters Woods Fellowship House.
Southway was founded 30 years ago with a vision to provide quality construction services for affordable housing developers and has grown into a sought-after, multi-disciplined construction management firm built on integrity.
At Southway, we build and transform people, communities, and buildings, all on a foundation of quality, dependability, and integrity. We’re not only passionate about construction, but also serving others to help them achieve their maximum potential.”
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Throughout the renovations at Hunters Woods Fellowship House, Southway has been an invaluable partner in maintaining the highest levels of resident safety and successfully navigating numerous challenges due to COVID. Southway recently completed the bathroom renovations in residents’ units and celebrated the occasion with staff! |
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Megan Krenz
Programs Intern at Lake Ridge Fellowship House
Megan is a graduate student working toward a Masters of Social Work from Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU). She received her undergraduate degree in Eduction and Psychology from Liberty University. Megan is passionate about serving people in the community—from volunteering in schools to helping with community events and is excited to be joining Fellowship Square this semester as an intern.
Megan and her husband Matt have five children (four sons and one daughter), a five year old granddaughter, and a bernedoodle puppy named Olive. Originally from Colorado, Megan has lived in Woodbridge for over ten years. In her free time she loves to read, spend time with family, listen to podcasts and refinish furniture.
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Jessica Lincoln
Programs Intern at Hunters Woods Fellowship House
Jessica is a Clinical Social Work student at Virginia Commonwealth University who is interning at Hunters Woods Fellowship House under the supervision of Jane Kung. She looks forward to coordinating service programs with Jane to give the Hunters Woods residents new educational and wellness experiences.
Before coming to Hunters Woods, Jessica owned a small tutoring business in Ashburn, Virginia, teaching Reading, Writing, Math, and Test Preparation to students of all ages. She is also a volunteer with American Foundation for Suicide Prevention’s National Capital Area Chapter.
When Jessica is not interning, working, or volunteering, she enjoys scuba diving, reading, and taking hikes with her two Labrador Retrievers, Homer and Morty.
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Binh Tran
Community Engagement Intern
Binh joins Fellowship Square with a background in banking, providing administrative support to Patent and Trademark Office and as an interpreter/liaison for Cantonese, Mandarin and Vietnamese-speaking top management representatives from Nike, Adidas, Reebok, and Puma.
Binh seeks to continue to develop her professional skills. In that regard, she completed the "Training Futures Program" last year. In that program, she learned many professional skills needed to prepare for work in the American corporate environment. The course is especially for those who come from other countries. She currently works as a bank teller at United Bank.
Binh makes her home in Fairfax County with her husband, who works in the IT field and her 14 year old son, Ryan. As a family, they enjoy eating and traveling.
She is excited for the opportunity to learn all she can about Fellowship Square's structure and mission during her Internship with Fellowship Square. In addition, Binh is also anticipating serving Fellowship Square's mission by using her language skills to communicate with Cantonese, Mandarin, and Vietnamese-speaking residents and, in so doing, better facilitate their needs.
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Reminder: If you have a Thrivent account, please designate Fellowship Square for donations
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Stay in touch with Fellowship Square on Facebook!
We post articles, updates on activities and events, our monthly newsletter, and pertinent information regarding our properties.
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