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Hello and Good Evening. Please enjoy this week's newsletter and just a quick reminder of no school on Monday, Happy Martin Luther King Day! Have a wonderful night, a wonderful Friday, and a wonderful long weekend!
 Deadline to Sign Up: Wednesday, January 18th
Click Here To Sign Up!
Once signed up, you will be provided with a copy of the book.
*We will be meeting virtually on Wednesday nights at 7pm once a month*
About The Book: "Where You Go Is Not Who You'll Be" By Frank Bruni
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"Since the behavior of colleges is unlikely to change anytime soon, Mr. Bruni writes mainly with parents and children in mind. He wants to help restore the excitement of going off to college, which should be a time for taking intellectual and social chances, for finding or confirming a passion, and for discovering yourself. In our age of what he calls “caste consciousness,” he wants to remind young people that what they get from college has almost everything to do with the attitude they bring to it and almost nothing to do with where it stands in the pecking order of prestige."
-The New York Times, Andrew Delbanco
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Music sets the mood for much of the soundtrack of our lives, providing a helpful tool for self-care. Create your own self-care playlist and learn how to use it as a reminder to practice mindfulness. |
Crisis stabilization and related services, collectively known as “REACH” (Regional, Education, Assessment, Crisis Services, Habilitation) are available 24/7 for individuals of all ages with documented evidence of an intellectual and/or developmental disability and to individuals over 18 years of age with mental health and/or at risk behavioral challenges.
REACH’s mission is to prevent unnecessary institutionalization of individuals who have intellectual and developmental disabilities and to provide them opportunities to live in the most integrated setting appropriate to their needs and consistent with their informed choice.
REACH services include mobile crisis response teams for crisis stabilization and prevention for adults and youth as well as a crisis therapeutic home for adults in need of short-term crisis stabilization and prevention outside of their home (30 days or less for crisis stays and 5 days or less for prevention stays).
REACH works with people who live in areas served by the following Community Services Boards: Alexandria, Arlington, Fairfax-Falls Church, Loudoun, and Prince William. Call REACH any time 24/7 at 855-897-8278. Find out more about REACH.
 Jill’s House provides respite care for families who are raising children ages 6-17 years who have intellectual disabilities. Parents can drop their children off for 24-48 hours and have time to rest, relax and look after themselves. Rest is important for everyone, and respite care has been proven to reduce stress.
At Jill’s house, children can enjoy a variety of activities tailored to their interests and abilities, such as swimming, art, music, reading, games, and outside play in the playground. This gives children a chance to connect with others and enjoy community meals. Jill’s house also offers parent support groups, scheduled sibling nights and family retreats.
Jill’s House serves families in the DC metro area and around the country, including in Vienna, VA. Jill’s House charges fees on a sliding scale based on family income. They also accept Children's Services Act (CSA) funding and Medicaid waivers. Find out more about Jill’s House.
It’s cold outside. Thankfully five Fairfax County Public Libraries have a Conserve (Energy) Kit available for use. The conserve kit provides some tools and consumable items that help the borrower better seal the "envelope" of their home and understand more about how various appliances and devices use energy. The kits may be borrowed for two weeks.
The kit contains the following items:
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Kilowatt Usage Meter — Measures the amount of electricity used by a particular device to help you understand its power consumption.
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Laser Thermometer — Allows you to safely read temperatures without touching the item being measured.
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Mechanical timer— Turns lamps, fans, season lighting, and other small devices off and on based on your desired times saving you energy and possibly deterring crime when you are away from home.
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Moisture Meter— Detects moisture content in materials, such as drywall, hardwood, masonry, or softwood, letting you know if it is within normal ranges.
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Thermometer / Hygrometer gauge— Mini digital thermometer hygrometer allows you to easily know the environment’s temperature and humidity in a space.
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Caulking gun, caulk*, finish tools— Caulk is a flexible material used to seal joints or seams against air or water leaks through cracks, gaps, or joints less than ¼” wide.
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Outlet / Light switch insulation gasket*— Insulation gaskets fit behind the wall plate of light switches and outlets, to seal off draughts of air that flow through your switches.
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Weather Stripping*— Used to stop air leaks on objects that open and close, making heating and cooling your home more efficient.
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Window Insulation shrink kit*— Used to add an extra thermal barrier to older windows.
- A Leathercraft 1165 Bigmouth Bag holds all the contents. ($35.00)
Items above marked with an asterisk are considered consumables - use what you need, return the rest; all other items are to be returned with the kit along with any unused consumables.
Learn more about the kits.
 If you have an idea for how communities can better support people who are aging with HIV, you could win funding to make it a reality.
The Administration for Community Living (ACL) and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Infectious Disease and HIV/AIDS Policy have partnered to develop two national prize competitions, through Challenge.gov, that support innovative efforts that help improve health outcomes for people aging with HIV or long-term survivors, with a focus on racial/ethnic minorities and LGBTQI+ populations, in either rural or urban communities. These challenges are sponsored by the Minority HIV/AIDS Fund, which aims to improve HIV prevention, care, and treatment for racial and ethnic minorities.
The rural and urban competitions each have two phases. In the first phase, applicants submit a short top-line summary of their idea (two pages) and video (no longer than 10 minutes). Up to 10 winners will be selected to receive $15,000 prizes. Then, in the second phase, the 10 phase-one winners of each competition will more fully develop their ideas with the support of group and individual coaching from subject matter experts. Up to five will be selected for a prize of $70,000 to fully expand their approach and prepare for implementation. Proposals are due January 31, 2023.
Find more information and the full article, written by Andrea Callow, ACL, Office for Policy Analysis and Development.
Sometimes, first aid isn't a bandage, or CPR, or the Heimlich, or calling 911. Sometimes, first aid is YOU! You are more likely to encounter someone experiencing a mental health crisis than someone having a heart attack.
Fairfax County is offering Mental Health First Aid courses. These courses teach you the common warning signs and risk factors associated with mental health concerns, along with a five-step action plan to help someone in crisis. Whether you are a first responder, teacher, faith community leader, parent, co-worker, or caring community member, these certification courses have information everyone can use.
Mental Health First Aid is offered virtually and in-person. The overall course is eight hours. The live virtual course includes two hours of self-paced prework and six hours live virtual training. The course is free for residents of Fairfax County and the Cities of Fairfax and Falls Church. For all other's there is a $25 materials fee for these courses.
Find more information, classes and register
Have you lost a family member or friend, or are you or someone you love seriously ill? Haven has trained volunteers who offer emotional support to people who are bereaved, extremely ill, the dying and to their families and friends. Haven is a nonprofit, nonsectarian community organization. They support individuals by providing comfort and sharing insights, resources and techniques that encourage recovery and healing. There is no charge for the help Haven provides.
Haven offers workshops such as:
- Widow/Widower/Partner Loss
- Open Suicide Loss Support Group
- Parent Loss Workshop
Haven also provides walk-in grief support for people wanting to talk to a volunteer. You don’t need an appointment. The hours are Monday through Friday, 10:30 a.m.-1 p.m. The address is:
Haven of Northern Virginia, Inc.
4606 Ravensworth Road
Annandale, Virginia 22003
Find more information or call 703-941-7000.
If you have any questions, comments, resources you'd like to share, or concerns please feel free to email me at eshoemaker@fcps.edu
Thank you so much for reading and have a wonderful Friday:)
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