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volume 26/#3 • summer 2016 Follow Your Passion - Hope House€¦ · Thank You, Americorps NCC...

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volume 26/#3 • summer 2016 In this issue p2 No Limitations p3 Supported Decisions p4 Eyes of Hope p6 Annual Dinner Three people served by Hope House share their dreams and passions. Meet Daniel Daniel says his two great- est accomplishments are learning to read and volunteering for Hamp- ton Roads Pride Fest. He feels strongly about his support for Pride because he feels no one should be discrimi- nated against. Daniel and his staff member Laura volunteered at the Americans with Disabili- ties Act’s booth. What he is looking forward to the most is learn- ing to surf with Surfer’s Healing next month. “The surfing scholarships are limited,” he says, “and I’m excited to be chosen.” He hopes to add surfing to his list of accomplishments, which also include knowing how to ride a long board and bicycle. Surfers Healing’s mission is to enrich the lives of people living with autism by exposing them to the unique experience of surfing. Meet Alison Alison loves to hang out her friends. “I enjoy all of the fun things we do—eat, shop, and go to the Jewish functions at the temple and in the community,” she says. “I am also really looking forward to going to a Tides game in August.” Living on her own and moving to a new city was a big step, Alison explains. “I left a place I knew really well for a place I wasn’t familiar with. It was a hard step for me, but I did it! I am so proud of myself. I really like being independent. I can walk to all sorts of places that are near my apartment. I also like being able to do things on my own time table and having a space that is all mine.” In the future, Alison would like to travel to New York to visit her uncle and grandmother. She would also like to go back to Las Vegas and see all of the sights. Meet Creed Creed’s passion is advo- cating for people with disabilities, specifically pertaining to the medical benefits of cannabis. There are several reasons. For one, it helps with spasticity and seizures, which he has. “I have a petition pertain- ing to get cannabis off of the schedule 1 controlled substance list,” he says, “so scientists can do research more effectively. I specifically want to see research on the brain of people with cerebral palsy.” Cannabis has been shown to reconnect the pathways in the brain, Creed explains. “Right now I have 427 signatures on the petition. I am hoping to have more than 1,000 signatures before I send it to the Senate and the House of Representatives, as well as the President of the United States.” Creed’s petition can be found on Twitter here: @creedleffler. You can also email him directly for more information at creedlef- [email protected]. Creed looks forward to Virginia’s new Medicaid waiver redesign. “The redesign is going to open up so many more options for people like me,” he says, “particularly in the realm of housing and work placement.” Follow Your Passion
Transcript
Page 1: volume 26/#3 • summer 2016 Follow Your Passion - Hope House€¦ · Thank You, Americorps NCC Atlantic Region Phoenix! AmeriCorp volunteers helped set up the Stockley Gardens Spring

volume 26/#3 • summer 2016

In this issuep2 No Limitations

p3 Supported Decisions

p4 Eyes of Hope

p6 Annual Dinner

Three people served by Hope House share their dreams and passions.

Meet DanielDaniel says his two great-est accomplishments are learning to read and volunteering for Hamp-ton Roads Pride Fest. He feels strongly about his support for Pride because he feels no one should be discrimi-nated against. Daniel and his staff member Laura volunteered at the Americans with Disabili-ties Act’s booth.

What he is looking forward to the most is learn-ing to surf with Surfer’s Healing next month. “The surfing scholarships are limited,” he says, “and I’m excited to be chosen.” He hopes to add surfing to his list of accomplishments, which also include knowing how to ride a long board and bicycle. Surfers Healing’s mission is to enrich the lives of people living with autism by exposing them to the unique experience of surfing.

Meet AlisonAlison loves to hang out her friends. “I enjoy all of the fun things we do—eat, shop, and go to the Jewish functions at the temple and in the community,” she says. “I am also really looking forward to going to a Tides game in August.”

Living on her own and moving to a new city was a big step, Alison explains. “I left a place I knew really well for a place I wasn’t familiar with. It was a hard step for me, but I did it! I am so proud of myself. I really like being independent. I can walk to all sorts of places that are near my apartment. I also like being able to do things on my own time table and having a space that is all mine.”

In the future, Alison would like to travel to New York to visit her uncle and grandmother. She would also like to go back to Las Vegas and see all of the sights.

Meet Creed Creed’s passion is advo-cating for people with disabilities, specifically pertaining to the medical benefits of cannabis. There are several reasons. For one, it helps with spasticity and seizures, which he has. “I have a petition pertain-ing to get cannabis off of the schedule 1 controlled substance list,” he says, “so scientists can do research more effectively. I specifically want to see research on the brain of people with cerebral

palsy.” Cannabis has been shown to reconnect the pathways in the brain, Creed explains. “Right now I have 427 signatures on the petition. I am hoping to have more than 1,000 signatures before I send it to the Senate and the House of Representatives, as well as the President of the United States.” Creed’s petition can be found on Twitter here: @creedleffler. You can also email him directly for more information at [email protected].

Creed looks forward to Virginia’s new Medicaid waiver redesign. “The redesign is going to open up so many more options for people like me,” he says, “particularly in the realm of housing and work placement.”

Follow Your Passion

Page 2: volume 26/#3 • summer 2016 Follow Your Passion - Hope House€¦ · Thank You, Americorps NCC Atlantic Region Phoenix! AmeriCorp volunteers helped set up the Stockley Gardens Spring

“Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world.” —Harriet Tubman

In my early years of supporting people with disabilities, I learned a startling truth. I was attend-ing a meeting with a case manager from a local Community Services Board. The purpose was to meet with a person we supported and develop a plan for services from Hope House Foundation. As we went over the individual’s goals, the case manager interrupted and said, “We don’t pay for dreams and wishes, there will be no funding for those items.”

At the time we agreed to remove the passion from the plan, or at minimum disguise it in a manner that would not be obvious. My colleagues and I complained about how unfair and inhumane this approach was, and more importantly, what it said about the value the system had for people with disabilities.

Things have improved, yet there is still an inher-ent bias in our funding systems toward the minimum, which is often defined as health and safety. Clearly these are critical areas but rarely are there assessments, planning

No Limitations: We can all be a successFrom the Executive Director

2

Lynne Seagle

and resources designed to prioritize people following their dreams and discovering their pas-sions. There is certainly intent to recognize that people are whole and possess talents, gifts and aspirations that are just as worthy of support as the standard items considered worth funding.

Everyone supported by Hope House should have their dreams acknowledged and the support to pursue their passions. Sometimes people have had little exposure and experience in discover-ing what they love, or their fortitude, courage, and skills have been underestimated by a system fraught with lack of funding and understanding.

In these pages, you’ll meet a few people whose dreams are being realized. Life is so fleeting and the human experience is often complex. A gentleman we sup-ported for 27 years passed away recently. His big dream was liv-ing life on his own terms. That

meant taking a stroll without permission, hanging in his favorite spots as a equal member of the community, and letting those of us who sought to support him know when and where that was needed. It might not seem like a vast dream — in fact, quite modest and something many of us take for granted. But for the 12,000 Virginians on the waiting list for services, modest dreams and personal passions often are on a wait list as well.

Thankfully, we’re no longer forced to disguise people’s aspirations in order to secure necessary funding. In fact, we focus on them, whether it’s to have friends, a real job, higher education, or services and support that make sense to the per-son versus only the system. Since our founding, we have held this value. It’s why we closed all our group homes in favor of people being supported in their own homes, and it’s why we remain committed today to push the boundaries. It’s not about achieving the impossible dream, it’s about having dreams at all. We all need our dreams, as well as the happiness when some of them come true because people believed in us instead of wishing on a star.

Everyone supported by

Hope House should have their dreams

acknowledged

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3

Supported Decision-Making By Brian Boys, Attorney, Atlantic Law PLC

Supported decision-making is a model for assisting people with disabilities in making significant decisions and exercising their legal capacity. Under the supported decision-making model, the person with a disability makes his or her own decisions while drawing on the support of a family member, friend, or other trusted and impartial person (or a team of these individuals). The individual can call upon his or her supporter to help gather relevant information to help in understanding important decisions. The supporter assists the person in evaluating options, weighing the pros and cons, and predicting likely outcomes and consequences of decisions. With this support, the individual is able to make his or her own decisions and be in control of life choices.

The process may be informal, or it can be formalized by the creation of a supported decision-making agreement. It provides an individual the opportunity to practice decision-making and to grow and expand his or her confidence and ability to make decisions and communicate these decisions with others.

While supported decision-making provides a less restrictive alternative to a court-ordered and supervised guardianship and conservatorship, it also has some shortcomings. Without any legal documents such as financial and medical powers of attorney in place, in the event of a temporary or permanent incapacity, the supporter is unable to act on behalf of the individual, and a guardianship and/or conservatorship may still become necessary. Therefore, it is important that the individual also have an estate plan in place.

“Rest in reason; move in passion.”Khalil Gibran

Larissa Murphy Larissa is a skilled volunteer who donates her time to Hope House Foundation. She has created training tools to assist leadership with supervision, staff development, morale and compliance training. Larissa has made more than 50 donation requests for this year’s Annual Staff Retreat. Larissa also helped with data entry for various projects, one of which aided executive leadership in determining billing changes in light of upcoming Medicaid waiver changes. Whatever the task, Larissa is ready to tackle with a smile and a fresh idea!

Hope House Foundation is a certified Service Enterprise, leveraging volunteers’ specialized skills, talents and expertise to strengthen the infrastructure by building and sustaining our capacity and level of service to successfully achieve our mission.

Larissa graduated from James Madison University and has a dual degree in Special Education and Elementary Education.

“I hope my legacy will be lived out in the lives I have touched over the years,” she says, “through the students I have taught, the people I have helped, the girls I mentored as a Girl Scout leader for 13 years, and most of all, through the lives of my children.”

SPOTLIGHT Volunteer

Hope House’s Skilled Volunteers provide significant value to the agency. During the last fiscal year,

• Volunteers worked 556 hours for a value of $13,616

• Board members contributed 653 hours for a value of $16,272

• Event volunteers gave 813 hours valued at $20,256.

The total for the year is 2,023 hours and a value of $50,144, a 100% increase from the previous year.

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4

The Eyes of Hope

Hope House Foundation– proud to be a partner.

2016 Stockley Gardens Spring Show

Thank You, Americorps NCC Atlantic Region Phoenix! AmeriCorp volunteers helped set up the Stockley Gardens Spring Arts Festival event in May. They also helped pour mulch and bark to make walkways needed, due to heavy rain, provided artist relief and kept the park clean throughout the event. Along with these volunteers, a total of 39 volunteers offered their services and time throughout the weekend. They provided a total of 199 hours of service, which helped Hope House Foundation save about $4,000.

Page 5: volume 26/#3 • summer 2016 Follow Your Passion - Hope House€¦ · Thank You, Americorps NCC Atlantic Region Phoenix! AmeriCorp volunteers helped set up the Stockley Gardens Spring

5

“Nothing is as important as passion.

No matter what you want to do with your life,

be passionate.”Jon Bon Jovi

Hope CupThe Hope Cup is an annual adult, indoor soccer tournament to benefit Hope House Foundation. The tournament took place at the Virginia Beach Field House July 16 & 17.

Hops for HopeA special thank-you to Bold Mariner for hosting Hops for Hope. And, kudos to Linder “Hollywood” Lawrence for designing the special beer label for Bold Mariner.

Bank of America donates funds for renovations to properties at Lakewood.

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6

2016 Annual Dinner

Kevin O’Connor Receives Jeff Miller Award from Annual Dinner

The Jeff Miller Award was presented to Kevin O’Connor of O’Connor Brewing Company at the Hope House’s Annual Dinner in June. O’Connor has been a community advocate for Hope House for more than 10 years through his support of Stockley Gardens Arts Festivals; Beards, Bands and Brews; and the Golden Tap awards. These events have generated fun and funds that sup-port Hope House Foundation’s programs and in turn provide direct benefit to the people who receive services.

Tom McCune received the Board Member of the Year at the Annual Dinner.

Page 7: volume 26/#3 • summer 2016 Follow Your Passion - Hope House€¦ · Thank You, Americorps NCC Atlantic Region Phoenix! AmeriCorp volunteers helped set up the Stockley Gardens Spring

20% off any purchase with this ad—Thru 9/30/161800 Monticello Avenue • Norfolk

Mon–Sat, 10am–6pm

7

Hope House Foundation Board of Directors

Joshua Harris, PresidentAnne Standing, Vice PresidentJanet Davis-Merlo, SecretaryJonathan Gray, TreasurerDorothy ClarkMatthew FinePam KatranchaShannon Layman-PecoraroPete Leddy

Richard C. Mapp IIITom McCune, M.D.Peggy MederThomas Moss IIIJeff ParkerGrey PersonsJacqueline SchillereffDiAna WhiteLynne Seagle, Executive Director

The 2016 Community Award Presented to Architectural Graphics, Inc. AGI specializes in architec-tural signage and branding for a very prestigious client list across the country. Its employees have given Hope House hours of skilled labor and assistance. These volun-teers have worked tirelessly on Hope House apartment buildings and provide invalu-able construction, mainte-nance, plumbing, painting and electrical needs to improve the homes of people served by the agency.

Pictured: Work in progress at Lakewood , Dominion and Granby locations.

“Nothing is as important as passion.No matter what you want to do with

your life, be passionate.”Oprah Winfrey

Thanks to CoreVelo’s partnership, Hope House raised $400 from the donation-based mat class that was held at O’Connor Brewing Co. on May 7. We are constantly amazed at the generosity of businesses like O’Connor’s and CoreVelo and the beautiful partnerships that can be formed when everyone comes together to support a cause. For all your ab-crunching needs, please consider going to one of CoreVelo’s classes.

National Pilates DayOur fearless leaders—CoreVelo instructors.

Page 8: volume 26/#3 • summer 2016 Follow Your Passion - Hope House€¦ · Thank You, Americorps NCC Atlantic Region Phoenix! AmeriCorp volunteers helped set up the Stockley Gardens Spring

eventssummer 2016BE OUR FRIEND!

801 Boush Street Suite 302 Norfolk, VA 23510 www.hope-house.org

757-625-6161757-625-7775 fax

Hope House is a certified United Way of Hampton Roads agency. Designation #5070

Nonprofit Org.U.S. Postage

PAIDNorfolk, VA

Permit #535

October 1 Chelsea West Fest. Noon to 6 p.m. Experience the best of Hampton Roads with local crafters, talented local musicians, local beers and delicious vendors in Historic West Ghent.

October 15–16 TowneBank presents the 2016 Stockley Gardens Fall Arts Festival. Enjoy the works of over 125 artists in a variety of mediums such as painting, ceramics, sculpture, photography, and jewelry. The after-hours party and artists’ reception will take place on Saturday at 5 pm. There will be live music and kids’ activities all weekend long. This event is free and open to the public. Volunteers are also needed. Visit www.stockleygardens.com for more information, or call (757) 625-6161.

October 22 Fall Fest Taste of the Town. 1 to 6 p.m. The Sertoma Club of Norfolk is hosting it’s 2nd annual Fall Fest at the Norfolk International Terminal Crumbley House. Proceeds benefit Hope House Foundation. Tickets are limited to 500 and include a taste of the town with local restaurants, local craft beers, wine and top-shelf beverages. Entertainment by Tiki Bar Band. Free valet parking. Rain or shine. Donations are $50 per person..

Visit Hope-House-Thrift-Store.com to find out about the Thrift Shop’s daily and biweekly deals.


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