New Location – In Case You Missed Us…
We’re Back! ECNV has completed its move to its new office space. We tried our best to ensure, as we moved, that we continued to provide the quality of service you have come to expect from us over these past 26 years.
We are excited about our new office location for many reasons. ECNV has developed a powerful and positive presence in Arlington and in particular the Courthouse/Clarendon area of Arlington. The new office is still on Clarendon Blvd. and only 6 blocks from our former office space. So we will continue to be able to utilize this well deserved reputation to the benefit of all individuals with disabilities and the community as a whole.
One great benefit of our Courthouse location is that we have increased our level of access to those using transit. We are right above the Courthouse Metro Station and are at a major hub for bus routes in Arlington, which should lead to fewer bus transfers. We also have a greater amount of public parking available for visitors to our office. It is very important to us that we continue to as accessible as possible to you!
You’ll notice when you get an opportunity to visit us that the office is not as spread out as the former space at Clarendon. While this does have some drawbacks, the Peer Specialists are finding this helpful when working together to come up with a possible solution to a complex issue. The Boardroom is larger and configured in a way to allow for greater participation.
Stay tuned for future newsletters from ECNV as we are working on having an open house celebration and look forward to seeing you here!
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From the Editor
Well as the saying goes, March will come in like a lion and go out like a lamb. So we can all hope for brighter, warmer, and calmer days ahead.
ECNV could certainly use some calmer days as lately we’ve been pretty frazzled by the move and all the ensuing changes that need to be made! We still have not got around to making all of them (e.g., the address on the business envelopes), but we will eventually.
Until we are able to get everything taken care of, please bear with us!
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From the New Board President
My name is Lee Jones and I’m very pleased to introduce myself as the newly elected President of ECNV. I’m honored that your Board of Directors has selected me to work closely with the Board and the Staff to continue the outstanding work for which ECNV is so well recognized, especially in these troubled and troubling times. More than ever, ECNV depends on the support of all our members to enable us to continue our work to help those in our Northern Virginia community with disabilities live fuller and more independent lives. Thank you for your continued support and generosity, both of time and money.
I want to extend a “thank you” to the newly retired members of your Board, and also a warm welcome to the new Board members elected at the December Annual Meeting. Each of these Board members contributes their time and money to serve others, which is the true ideal of public service.
In addition, a special “thank you” to Brad Miles, who recently stepped down from the Board as President. Among other accomplishments, Brad’s leadership and commitment to ECNV and our members resulted in the very successful 25th Anniversary Gala and the sometimes traumatic but also very successful relocation to our new facilities in the Courthouse area. Once the dust of the move has settled, ECNV will host an “office warming” at the new facility; we will let you know all the details as soon as they are finalized.
Lastly, a “thank you” to our Executive Director, Dave Burds. Dave works long and hard to make sure that ECNV is there to help the members of our community who will benefit from our services. It will be an honor and a pleasure to work with Dave over the coming year to continue the good and valuable services that ECNV provides.
Thank you everyone for your continued support of ECNV! Many in our community need and appreciate the services that ECNV provides, thanks to all of you.
2009 ECNV Board of Directors:
Front (from left): Jane Kachulis, Matthew Barkley
Back (from left): Jeffrey Hayman, Bryna Helfer, Steve Yaffe, Susan Kalish, Mary Leary, Marcie Goldstein, Michel Bagbonon, Lenore Levin
Missing Members: Lee Jones, Jessica Hunt, Sally Michael, Suzanne Mitchell, Elizabeth Priaulx
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From the Executive Director
Do we as a Center for Independent living live up to our mission? Our mission statement reads as follows:
To empower people with disabilities to live independently.
Our goals are for individuals with disabilities to:
• improve the quality of their lives;
• determine their own lifestyles;
• participate in all aspects of society;
• secure their human and civil rights; and to
• protect a mechanism for consumer control and policy direction of the service delivery system that impacts their lives.
This being our mission, our core services are of advocacy, peer counseling, independent living skills training, and information and referral.
The reason I state our mission and our services, is because I would like to find out from you if we have been living up to what we profess. Not just living up to our mission and services but what could we be doing better and what more should we be doing.
Having now settled into our new home I would like to have all interested parties join me and a few of our staff members for an evening of pizza and soda to discuss how we could be better serving people with disabilities in this northern Virginia area. At the end of March we will be sending out an official invite for a meeting to take place sometime in April.
Even though we no longer have the great physical exposure that we had in our previous location, we would like to be sure that a greater exposure will be seen in the lives of those we work with daily.
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The Larry Pelkey Memorial
Lawrence (Larry) Pelkey died unexpectedly of complications from pneumonia on Dec. 30, 2008. He was one of the early disability rights leaders in Arlington. He served on the ECNV board of directors, and as the board’s President, for many years. During his time on the board he helped form a truly active board of directors that lives on in today’s board. He was also a former Chair of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority’s Elderly and Disabled Transportation Advisory Committee. Larry was a true leader on the issues of transportation for people with disabilities. His many friends will truly miss him.
His sisters, Laurel P. Dew and Joan M. McGunnigle, nieces and nephews, Alexandra Dew, Katherine Berry, Victoria Dew, Nora McGunnigle and Charles Sunwabe, his aunt Norma Gordon and his uncle Douglas Pelkey, would like to help fund a memorial for Larry at our new ECNV location. The donations will go toward the audio-visual equipment-estimated at $15,000, needed for the new board room. When raised, we would like to have the dedication of The Larry Pelkey Memorial Boardroom in conjunction with our open house that will be held in May. Those who wish to contribute please send your checks to ECNV and note that the donation is for this purpose.
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Celebrate the Life of Disabled Rights Activist Larry Pelkey at
Frank O’Leary’s 26th Annual St. Patrick’s Day Party to
benefit the Warren G. Stambaugh Memorial Foundation
Sunday, March 15, 3-6pm at Ri Rá 2915 Wilson Blvd., Arlington
RSVP: Linda O’Leary at 703-524-7336
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LEND Opens New Office
Loudoun ENDdependence Center (LEND) has opened its new doors at 44121 Harry Byrd Highway, Suite 240; Ashburn, VA; 20147. We continue to work with people on a cross-disability basis. Our work is to assist them gain or maintain their independence.
Our new hours are Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm. Please call to make an appointment before dropping by. We also can make appointments for other times if those hours are not convenient.
Contact LEND at 703-342-7651(Voice/Relay), 703-485-731 (Voice/SMS) or LEND@ecnv.org.
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Will There Be Medicaid Waiver Cuts?
The Virginia Govenor’s budget had called for substantial cuts to the Medicaid Waivers and thus the very real threat of many of our consumers ending up in nursing homes. As a result of the federal Economic Stimulus Bill, many of these cuts may not take place. At press deadline for our newsletter, the General Assembly had not yet adjourned and we did not have the complete answers. You will find an insert written by ECNV Advocacy and Outreach Director, Doris Ray, that will spell out more of the details. When the General Assembly adjourns we will send out the complete updates.
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Meet Our New Face
Hannah Manila, Service Facilitator
I’m a native to this area—born in Washington, D.C. and raised in Northern Virginia. I have a BA in Sociology and a minor in Gender Studies from Loyola College in Maryland. Last May, I graduated from George Mason University with a Master’s in Social Work.
I love music, play the guitar and banjo (I try), love the Redskins, am learning to love the Capitals, like hiking, being outdoors, yoga, and cooking.
I also really love working with the staff at ECNV and hope that I will be able to continue to work and assist families in securing independence in their lives.
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