ECNV Continues to Serve the Diverse Faith Network
On Sunday, November 19, 2023, ECNV partnered with Durga Temple of Virginia to provide vaccines and free COVID-19 home tests to Hindu faith community, located in Lorton and serving Fairfax County.
Collage: Cherie Takemoto, Rosalia Fajardo, a Japanese male volunteer and Manju Sangruala from Durga temple in flower dress; a group of Hindu families celebrating Diwali and waiting for the vaccines; a young female volunteer wearing a grey traditional Hindi shirt and black pants.
ECNV Protecting Immigrant Communities
On Saturday, November 11, 2023, ECNV in partnership with Mount Olive Methodist Church in Arlington VA, hosted a vaccination clinic and distributed COVID-19 home tests to Hispanic immigrants and others residing in Arlington County. ECNV staff spoke with so many while they waited in line. They were grateful to the church for providing food to feed their families with dignity, even overcoming language barriers, and to ECNV for the vaccines. It was a very cold morning but helping those in need brought a lot of warmth.
Collage: Margarita Baquero ECNV staff member, sitting with a Walgreens pharmacist; A group of people waiting in line for food and vaccines, holding purple bags; Rosalia Fajardo wearing brown a a blue jacket, pictured with a hispanic male in a blue jacket and dark pants, using a wheelchair and waiting for the vaccine.
37th Annual Caregivers Conference- When Caregiving Calls: Building a Framework for Resilience
On Friday, November 10, 2023, Pansy Walker attended the 37th Annual Caregiver Conference at the Korean Central Presbyterian Church. This all-day event was sponsored by the Northern Virginia Dementia Care Consortium. This year’s event focused on the resilience and spirit of caregivers. The conference is designed for family caregivers, volunteers working with older adults, and professionals in aging and related services. The sessions assist attendees with a better understanding of providing care and support to someone with dementia, learning new ways to engage individuals with dementia, connect with other caregivers and collect resources from exhibitors who offer supportive services.
FCPS Career and Transition Services Presents the Moving on to Life in the Community Resource Fair
On Thursday, November 9, 2023, Maura Schmidt, Program Facilitator/ILS, and Pansy Walker, Outreach Coordinator, had the pleasure of representing ECNV at the FCPS Career and Transition Resource Fair at Annandale High School. Over 150 families registered for the event and many vendors represented their agencies with an abundance of information and resources.
ECNV Advancing Racial Equity Cohort
On Wednesday, November 8, 2023, The ECNV Advancing Racial Equity Cohort presented their plan for creating an equitable organization that allows staff members at all levels to feel empowered within the organization. They will present their plan with staff and management input on key objectives to build empowerment, collaboration and trust within ECNV.
Image: The ECNV team, Paul Whitney, Nagham Sendak, Vicente Saavedra, and Cherie Takemoto (in center) with Jasmine Khanani (left) and Dr. Stacy Scott (right) from the cohort facilitators from Wayfinding Partners. This study group was a project of ACT for Alexandria.
Seniors Getting Vaccinated!
On Monday, November 6, 2023 ECNV in partnership with Louduon Caregivers hosted a vaccine clinic at Madison House Apartments, Leesburg, VA in Loudoun County.
Collage: A female senior woman sitting for a vaccine (right) a Walgreens pharmacist; a Walgreens pharmacist a white female in her medical gown, a woman using a wheelchair; a group of seniors and volunteers waiting to be vaccinated.
Himalayan COVID-19 Vaccine Clinic
On Saturday, November 4, 2023, ECNV provided vaccines to the Himalayan community residing in Northern Virginia. This event is deeply connected to our organization's mission to serve the diverse and multicultural community and was an experience full of spiritual wealth and peace that accurately reflected that the universal language is a smile and our unwavering organization's commitment to serve seniors with disabilities, their caregivers, and their communities.
Collage: Rosalia Fajardo, Director of Multicultural Families at ECNV with the Director of the Himalayan Free Clinic, Manju Sangruala in blue shirt and black pants; a Walgreens Pharmacist giving a vaccination; (bottom), a group of Nepalese /Himalayan seniors wearing their traditional costumes , Rosalia is wearing a black vest over a blue blouse.
ECNV’s TGIF Social Group
On Friday, November 3, 2023, staff members led the TGIF social group at Dos Amigos. 15 ECNV consumers participated.
TGIF social group, group photo.
Wings for All!
On Saturday, October 28, 2023, ECNV Travel Trainer Hunter Cardwell, and Outreach Coordinator Pansy Walker, attended the Wings for All event sponsored by Arc of Northern VA. This event , which took place at the Reagan National Airport, gives families and aviation professionals the confidence to take to the skies with ease by providing an airport rehearsal as well as a presentation on the aircraft and in-flight safety protocols.
Collage: “Wings for All” check-in sign; Pansy Walker and Hunter Cardwell at ECNV’s outreach table at the Wings for All event.
Agents of Change: News Spotlight
On Wednesday, November 15, 2023, ECNV’s Disability Justice Agents of Change team graduates, Victor Wear (Isaiah and Tiffany Hamilton) were featured on WUSA9 Shop Small Feature. Victor Wear helps employ and empower The Autism Community.
On Thursday, November 16, the Arlington Three (Huan Vuong, Ben McGann and Emma Budway) posted an online petition “Inclusion in Arlington Public Schools.” This is an advocacy project by the Ford Foundation Disability Justice grant for the Agents of Change team the Arlington Three. Sign and help spread the word!
Collage (left to right): Screenshot from ECNV’s Disability Justice Agents of Change team graduates, Victor Wear (Isaiah and Tiffany Hamilton) were featured on WUSA9 Shop Small Feature. Victor Wear helps employ and empower The Autism Community video segment; The Arlington Three, (left to right) Huan Vuong, Ben McGann and Emma Budway.
Carlin Senior Housing Vaccine Clinic
On Tuesday, November 28, 2023, Program and Training Coordinator Andrew Shaw and ECNV Communications and Publications Specialist Elaine Shaw hosted a vaccine clinic at Carlin Senior Living in Arlington. Elaine, a pharmacist from Walgreens was on hand to provide COVID-19 and flu vaccinations to over twenty residents. On site staff Josephine Koroma helped coordinate the flow of residents receiving vaccines. Elaine Shaw also picked up other resource material for independent living in Arlington. This was a successful event and most residents they interacted with were grateful to be vaccinated and happy to participate in our demographic survey which helps provide for our funding.
Collage: The Two Elaine’s, Elaine, the pharmacist from Walgreens and ECNV’s Publications Specialist Elaine Shaw; Program and Training Coordinator Andrew Shaw assisting a consumer fill up a vaccine survey; Andrew giving a purple goodie bag to a consumer, in the background, Elaine Shaw and Josephine Koroma.
5th Annual Healthcare Disparities Conference
On Tuesday, October 3, 2023, ECNV Outreach Coordinator / Peer Counselor Tracee Garner attended the 5th Annual Healthcare Disparities Conference – A Call for Connection: Cultural Humility and Allyship.
[Image: Tracee Garner].
Loudoun County Caregivers Van
On Wednesday, November 1, ECNV Outreach Coordinator/ Peer Mentor Tracee Garner attended the dedication ceremony for Loudoun Volunteer Caregivers van, which provides transportation for frail elderly and disabled adults who are not able to use other public transportation options.
Image: Tracee Garner, a longtime advocate for services that provide more independence for Loudoun's disabled residents, is lifted into the new wheelchair accessible van operated by Loudoun Volunteer Caregivers during a November 1, 2023 dedication ceremony.
Hispanic Health Fair
On Saturday, October 14, 2023, ECNV hosted a COVID-19 and flu clinic at the Hispanic Health Fair in Alexandria, VA. Director of Multicultural Families Rosalia Fajardo and ECNV's new travel trainer Margarita Baquero also attended.
Collage: Two women two in traditional Mexican dresses, Rosalia is in the center; Margarita Baquero ECNV travel trainer specialist in pink jacket with an African American woman in grey sweater and little girl in pink blouse; a Muslim family a mother wearing pink scarf light blue blouse and black pants and two little boys.
LGBTQ Hispanic Halloween Party
On Sunday, October 29, 2023 Rosalia attended a Halloween Party, hosted by Impacto, an LGBTQ Hispanic organization.
Collage: A group of people posing together for a Halloween gathering; ECNV purple table cloth with COVID-19 test kits; a Hispanic man wearing a bright orange work blazer and work hat.
Walter Reed Senior Center Vaccine Clinic
On Tuesday, October 31, ECNV hosted a clinic for seniors at Walter Reed Senior Center in Arlington, VA with help from our vaccination partner, Walgreens.
Collage: a Latina woman signing up to receive her COVID-19 vaccination; Rosalia Farjardo (left) and Miranda Cobbs (right), PharmD area 67 supervisor from Walgreens; a pharmacist wearing a white jacket, Miranda Cobbs and Rosalia, posing in front of a Walgreens red table.
Women Giving Back Event
On Friday, October 6, ECNV staff, Outreach Coordinator/ Peer Mentor, Tracee Garner and Director of Multicultural Families, Rosalia Fajardo attended Women Giving Back’s Referral Partner Open House and Community Resource Fair.
Collage: Outreach Coordinator/ Peer Mentor, Tracee Garner and Director of Multicultural Families, Rosalia Fajardo posing together in front of a table with a purple table cloth, and further right, a line of women with green bags picking up information related to ECNV’s services; Rosalia Fajardo giving a blue bag to an African-American woman with a black shirt.
ECNV’s TGIF Social Group
On October 6, 2023, staff members, Ruchika and Carlos lead the TGIF social group in Delhi Dhaba with 13 of ECNV consumers participating. We encourage other adults interested in attending to join the next group on 11/03/23 at Dos Amigos at 535 E Braddock Rd, Alexandria, VA 22314 at 5:00 pm.
TGIF social group, group photo.
ECNV Honored
On Wednesday, October 4, ECNV Executive Director Dominique Dunford-Lack, Deputy Executive Director Tim Fuchs and Heather Sailes attended the Department for the Blind and Visually Impaired Awards. ECNV was awarded at the event because Heather came to ECNV as an intern through DBVI and then was hired permanently. Heather won an award and ECNV won an award celebrating Ability in the Workplace.
Collage: Rick Mitchell, Commissioner of DBVI (Department for the Blind and Vision Impaired in front of a podium; Executive Director Dominique Dunford-Lack, Deputy Executive Director Tim Fuchs and Heather Sailes, pictured with awards.
ECNV’s I Am Self-Advocacy Program: Fall 2023 Update
The IASA Program is a Pre-Employment Transition Service (Pre-ETS) focused on helping students with disabilities, ages 14-22, hone their skills in self-advocacy through a combination of individual and group sessions. Funded by the Department for Aging and Rehabilitative Services (DARS), this program is offered to students referred by the Fairfax, Alexandria, Leesburg, and Manassas DARS offices.
[Image: Three circles overlapping each other with words Self Advocate in the center and words Motivated, Committed, and Passionate on each circle].