Lutheran Family Services of Virginia

Sheri, Katherine and Miah look like a happy family—and

they are. But not in the way you might think.

Sheri Perch moved into a brand new home outside of

Louisa, a charming small town in central Virginia, about a

year ago. The location is good for her daughter, Miah, 19,

who attends Piedmont Virginia Community College, and

for Sheri, whose parents live in nearby Culpeper.

It is also good for Katherine Johnson, an active, softball

loving 60-year-old with a 1,000-watt smile who has

been part of the Perch family for four years. The safe and

attractive neighborhood means that she can take her

beloved walks, and the proximity to Sheri’s family means

that she is part of the fun things that families do.

She proudly shows off her bedroom, complete with

four-poster bed and walls covered with puzzles she has

completed with themes ranging from animals to Disney

characters. She can’t wait to play softball in the upcoming

Special Olympics, loves to clean house, and wants to start a

garden. Most weekends you will find Katherine with Sheri’s

extended family, enjoying church and lots of good food.

As an adult with intellectual disabilities who has been in

the social services system since the age of five, Katherine

had lived in many different settings—on the campus of the

Southside Virginia Training Center and in half a dozen or

so group homes. With Sheri, she has more mobility, more

security and lots to keep her busy.

Teacher Leanne Decker & students Photo by Dan Montgomery

Families come in all ShapeS & SizeSSee what happens when one caring mother opens her

home and her heart to an individual with disabilities

Sheri, Katherine and Miah, Photo by Dan Montgomery

SPRiNG 2016

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Katherine is enjoying family life to the fullest because Sheri is a Family

Care provider through Lutheran Family Services of Virginia.

Sheri had worked as a certified nursing assistant for many years and wanted

to continue providing one-on-one care. Her parents, also Family Care

providers, loved their work, and Sheri would often help them out with their

individuals. Becoming a provider was a natural fit.

Crystal Steger-Smith, a Family Care Manager at LFSVA, says very few people

know about the Medicaid-funded program, which provides a stipend to

providers based on the needs of their individual.

Providers take 56 hours of training and go through a licensing process. They

also adhere to a support plan for their individuals and are responsible for

daily documentation. “Becoming a Family Care provider is a big decision, ”

says Steger-Smith. “We are always there for support beyond our monthly

meetings. We really want the relationship to be a success.”

Part of that success comes from matching the right individual to the right

provider.

Sheri got to know Katherine slowly. She picked her up from the group home

twice for dinner, then there were three visits and a couple of overnights.

Katherine is very active, and at first Sheri didn’t know whether they would

mesh. She is verbal, but not fluent, which means that sometimes it can be

hard to understand her. Sheri was undecided.

But then, during one visit, everything changed when Sheri happened to

mention that she had a headache.

“Katherine came over and put her arm around me and asked if I wanted

some water. That was a turning point. She

definitely has a sweet heart.”

“It’s not for everybody, ” says Sheri. “You have to be

a person who has a lot of patience, but I recommend

it to anyone who has a lot of love and enjoys taking

care of others. Katherine is a joy to be around.”

—Carole Todd

•Are you interested in learning more about becoming a Family Care Provider? Call 800.359.3834 or email info@lfsva.org.

Thanks to our foundation partners!It’s the little—and sometimes big—things that can enrich the day-to-day life of the people we serve. Support from foundations helps fund things like a new pe curriculum for our Wytheville school or a paeS vocational lab for the Starkey Station and harrisonburg schools. This year grants also provided sensory items for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities and improvements to the outdoor settings at our Day Support programs and group homes. From blenders to sensory rockers to garden beds, we have a lot to be thankful for!

a hearty thanks to the foundations who have awarded us money this year: The Bedford Community health Foundation, C.e. Richardson Benevolent Foundation, Cochran Family Youth Fund of the Community Foundation of the Northern Shenandoah Valley, Community Catalyst Funds and a. anson and Theresa G. Jamison Foundation of the Foundation for Roanoke Valley, Gertrude Conduff Foundation, Greater Lynchburg Community Trust, Kiwanis Club Roanoke, Rees Family Fund of the Community Foundation of the Northern Shenandoah Valley, and Titmus Foundation.

Tour, lunch & learnSeeing is...learning! Tour one of our Day Support programs and learn more about how LFSVa is helping adults with disabilities live a fuller and more complete life. Visit one of our Minnick Schools, which are helping students recover the joy of learning. Find out how your civic group, congregation or business can become involved in our life-affirming work. Lunch and Learns are one hour—we promise—and include lunch and time for questions. The Lunch and Learn schedule is on our web site at lfsva.org. Or you can email Leah hatcher at lhatcher@lfsva.

More than 150 children in foster care, foster parents and foster care workers filled the “I wish my ___ knew...” in a survey sent around the state by Commonwealth Catholic Charities, hopeTree Family Services and Lutheran Family Services of Virginia. The answers were heartfelt —and eye-opening. Read what this group wishes their foster parents, teachers, friends, family and people outside of foster care knew on

the Facebook pages and websites of the three agencies throughout May, which is Foster Care awareness Month. There is a huge need for people to care for teenagers.

Find out more at lfsva.org.

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Families come in all shapes and sizes .... continued

For LFSVA Minnick students vocational planning begins early. This student works in a PAES vocational lab, which will help him discover what he likes to do and then help him develop the skills to do it! The new LFSVA Supported Employment program will assist students leaving school as well as adults with disabilities who are part of our Day Support program or who live in LFSVA Group Homes prepare for and find jobs.

Do you want to support this great program? Think about being a Pack the Park Superhero!

pack the park 2016And be a superhero to individuals with disabilities!

Having a job, going to work, and being a

productive member of the community

is a dream of many individuals with

disabilities. Help make that dream

come true!

Grab your cap—or your cape—and

enjoy a night of family fun at the

third annual LFSVA Pack the Park

Night at 6 p.m. Saturday, May 21, at the

Red Sox Baseball Stadium in Salem. All

proceeds will go toward kicking off a new

program that will provide job coaching and

mentoring for individuals with disabilities.

With your help, we can meet our $20,000

goal! Learn more at lfsva.org about how

LFSVA Supported Employment Services

will help individuals with disabilities live

the fullest and most complete lives in their

communities. Questions about supported

employment? Call 1.800.359.3834

•For more information on individual ticket sales, corporate sponsorships and ticket and meal packages, please call Leah Hatcher at 540.562.8486 or email her at lhatcher@lfsva.org.

Chris is back at public school Some successes are gradual and quiet, such as when a Minnick School student returns to his home school and it works.

Harrisonburg Minnick School student Chris recently did just that. Chris came to the Minnick School because of disruptive behavior. Using a program called School-Wide Positive Behavior Interventions and Support, his teacher tracked his behavior in 15-minute increments. This continuous information gathering, coupled with personalized lessons, incentives and family support allowed the staff to head off problems and build on his

successes.

By mid-fall, Chris had made so much progress that he began to transition back to his home school, gradually spending

more and more time there, says Harrisonburg Education Coordinator Brenda Showalter.

“Chris was very excited about the move,” Showalter says. “There were times of stress, but he was able to use the strategies he had learned at Minnick to de-escalate, talk about his worries and then move on with his days.”

The Minnick staff continued to work with Chris daily while offering suggestions and materials to the staff at Chris’ home school.

After about six weeks, Chris was a full-time student at his home school. “At this point, Chris is doing well back at school and all indicators are that this will continue,” Showalter says. “He is an excellent example of a student who thrived in this setting with the structure and strategies used under our behavior support system.”

—Dan Montgomery

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•Be a partner! Would you like to help students build their confidence and job skills? Our Starkey Station students work in the Roanoke community several mornings a week to learn valuable job and communications skills. If you are interested in having your business partner with us, please call Kim Irvin, Educational Coordinator at 540.206.3270, ext. 3401, or email her at kirvin@lfsva.org.

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A new Minnick School opens in Bristol. The new Minnick

School in Bristol, Virginia, has opened this spring in the former Janie

Hammit Home, an orphanage that opened in 1936 and eventually

became a group home for girls. The 6,400 square-foot building sits

on three acres and will be able to hold 24 students from kindergarten

through eighth grade. With three large areas for classrooms, a full

kitchen, and room to renovate, the building can grow with the need.

And another Minnick School is relocating! The new location

of the Harrisonburg Minnick School means space for a multipurpose

room, a living area with a full kitchen, and a PAES vocational lab. And,

most importantly, space for more students. At almost 15,000 square

feet, the building on Virginia Avenue will hold up to 70 children, more

than twice the number of students at the school now.

Thinking about a planned gift? Making a planned gift can be as easy as adding a few simple sentences to your will or designating a beneficiary to your life insurance or annuities. For details, contact Ellen Bushman at ebushman@lfsva.org or 757.722.4707, ext. 1302.

mission moments

promise, restored

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Items for students & adults with disabilities:

• Scientific and basic calculators

• Pencils and pencil sharpeners

• Jump ropes

• Towels

• AA and AAA batteries

• Personal hygiene items (body wash, tissues, deodorant, toothbrushes and toothpaste) are always helpful!

For more information about donating items or gift cards to our Minnick schools and programs that serve adults with disabilities, please contact Leah Hatcher at lhatcher@lfsva.org or call 1.800.359.3834.

Wish list

Our MissionWorks is published by LFSVa, 2609 McVitty Rd., Roanoke, Va 24018. 1.800.359.3834; lfsva.org. editor: Carole Todd, 434.981.9952, ctodd@lfsva.org.