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Fellowship Square provides affordable housing and services for older adults. |
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Lake Anne Redevelopment
Resident Life
Community Partners
John Kelly Joins Board
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Christy's Corner
Stay in Shape After 60
Staff Changes
COVID-19 Resources
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LAKE ANNE DEVELOPMENT UPDATE |
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Making a Place for the New Lake Anne House! Construction Starts in October! |
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Work on the site of the New Lake Anne House is moving along… take a look at our time-lapse camera to see the progress!
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The COVID-19 pandemic has not stopped us from finding ways to celebrate our 60th Anniversary year with the residents:
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Lake Anne Fellowship House
Cupcakes! Nothing says "celebration" like cupcakes! The staff at Lake Anne Fellowship House surprised residents and the main office staff with cupcakes in honor of Fellowship Square's 60th Anniversary!
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Largo Landing Fellowship House
Residents of Largo Landing Fellowship House were given cupcakes, ice cream & goodie bags with the FS logo containing Fellowship Square's 60th anniversary hand sanitizer, chips and an assortment of candy.
Largo Landing Fellowship House residents Madeline K. and Joseph M. show off their treats.
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Hunters Woods Fellowship House
Hunters Woods staff grilled and hand-delivered a barbecued lunch, a cupcake and hand-sanitizer to each resident.
A loaded cart is ready for delivery to residents. Yan C. has lunch delivered to her front door.
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Community Partners Help Out |
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The Prince William County Food Rescue and ACTS program have partnered with Lake Ridge Fellowship House to provide food to residents that otherwise may have gone to waste. On August 5, the first delivery included milk, produce, and nonperishable food items. Two weeks later, LRFH residents reaped the benefits of a large delivery of fresh produce. We are thankful for these generous donations and the support of our dedicated Lake Ridge Fellowship House staff and FS volunteers.
Each Fellowship Square community has recurring needs for volunteers to help sort and deliver food donations to residents. We’re also recruiting volunteers to make telephone calls to residents who may feel isolated.
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Lake Ridge Fellowship House residents Jae S. and Susan C. enjoying their veggies!
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A pallet of boxes ready for delivery to residents at Lake Ridge Fellowship House, and a sample of the bounty to be found inside. |
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Fellowship Square's
Newest Board Member
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John Kelly is a shareholder of Bean, Kinney & Korman and focuses his practice on general corporate law and real property law, including commercial real estate leasing, financing and acquisitions, and business mergers and acquisitions.
He serves on the Board of Editors of Commercial Leasing Law & Strategy, a national publication, and has also served as a featured guest on real estate leasing topics on Commercial Real Estate Radio.
John represents sellers, lenders and developers in connection with real estate investments throughout Virginia and Maryland. These transactions involve the construction and development of office buildings, shopping centers, hotels and other investment-grade properties, including negotiating agreements and the review of due diligence on behalf of both lenders and purchasers. He was born in Baltimore, MD, lives in Vienna, VA, has two daughters and a German Shepherd.
John served on the Fellowship Square board years ago but left as he needed more time to focus on his children. However, over the years he has remained in contact with Fellowship Square and is happy to return to service. He looks forward to giving back to the community by offering time and expertise to a great cause.
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Something New, Something Gained |
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As Summer winds down, Fellowship Square prepares for Fall with many new plans and initiatives in our efforts to get some things back to normal and continue to meet the needs of our residents.
With the hiring of our new Resident Life Director, Katherine Alexander, we intend to launch a comprehensive Resident Life Survey this Fall to capture information about our seniors – demographics, programming and volunteer interests, needs and abilities (including everything from housekeeping to participating in online activities). We last conducted a full-scale resident survey in 2018. We will ask many of the same questions so we can identify changes and trends; we will also add a number of new questions to help us better meet emergency needs and develop programming to gauge intellectual and social interests.
We anticipate identifying a number of new areas for which we need volunteers, partners and even equipment and services. For example, we have been researching ways to bring affordable and dependable wifi to residents’ units. This likely will be a future grant opportunity or funding request to potential supporters.
Bringing residents online means equipping them with a tablet or laptop – which means additional fundraising efforts on our part.
Once we are able to move beyond residents’ critical needs such as food, transportation and medical benefits, we can begin to deliver exciting and engaging activities that satisfy them physically, emotionally, intellectually and spiritually.
We have many exciting initiatives planned for this Fall and beyond. I hope we can count on your support in some small – or big – way. We can’t do it without you!
With gratitude,
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STAY FIT AND STAY HEALTHY |
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All Ages Need to Stay in Shape! |
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Physical Activity – It’s Always Important!
One thing that everyone should be doing, even as they age, is to exercise. There are so many benefits for older adults such as a lower risk of heart disease, lower cholesterol, increased serotonin, and improving overall health and well-being. Despite the numerous benefits, only 1 in 4 Americans over 65 are reported to be physically active. Make sure to consult with your doctor before starting, but don’t let obstacles like age and cost stop you!
Worried about finding the time and money? Seniors who walk even just 20 minutes a day have been found to have a lower risk of mobility disability. Plus, activities such as walking, stretching, biking and yoga are free and can be done at your own pace.
Is there a fear of feeling fragile and not confident? Regular physical activity will improve balance and mobility over time and reduce the chance of injury. Low impact exercises help with injury prevention as well. Find people who are interested in similar activities like walking, gardening and biking to develop a motivated community.
Not sure what is right for you? Take advantage of the outdoors if it is something you enjoy. Homebodies can engage in strength exercises, balance training, and even activities such as yoga inside your own home. There are so many free resources and videos online. It is never too late to find a new passion!
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By Rachael Powell
Fellowship Square Marketing, Communications and
Volunteer Summer Intern
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Fellowship Square Staff is Growing
We welcome our new staff members:
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Katherine Alexander — Resident Life Director
Katherine joins the Fellowship Square team and brings a variety of experience working with seniors. Prior to earning her degree in Healthcare Administration from George Mason University, Katherine worked as a direct care professional at an Assisted Living Facility. She has continued to gain valuable experience by earning her certification as a Certified Dementia Practitioner and serving as an Activity Director.
"I love working with seniors because the connections you make are timeless. Learning about the individuals in our communities and hearing the stories of what they have accomplished and where they’ve been is only the beginning. Being a part of a team that makes it possible for the people in our community to continue adding to their stories by enriching their lives is priceless.”
Born in Fairfax Virginia, Katherine enjoys gardening and spending time with her husband and daughter.
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Claudia Dressler — Office Manager
Claudia is Fellowship Square’s new Office Manager. She joins the team with over a decade of experience working for non-profits in California, and a background in donor relations and fundraising. She attended college at the University of California, Riverside, and received her master’s degree in arts management from Claremont Graduate University.
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Best Wishes to Departing Staff
Fellowship Square bids fond farewell to two beloved staff members:
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Cassandra Hawkins — Service Coordinator, Hunters Woods Fellowship House
Cassandra dedicated herself to the needs of Hunters Woods residents. She brought many new programs and services to the community like Chair Yoga, Zumba and annual wellness checks. She was a strong advocate for each of our residents. They will miss her – and we will too – but wish her much success in her new endeavors.
Parivash Ahmadi — Bookkeeper, Hunters Woods Fellowship House
Parivash (Pari) served as Hunters Woods Fellowship House’s Bookkeeper for over 8 years. She enjoyed entertaining residents during birthday parties and other celebrations (pre-COVID). She was bilingual in English and Persian and often helped translate/ interpret information for residents. She also assisted at the front desk and trained other staff members before her departure. Her two daughters enjoyed volunteering during the holiday party every year. She will be greatly missed but we wish Pari much success in her new role as the Director of Business Services at Great Falls Assisted Living.
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CELEBRATE THE END OF SUMMER! |
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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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