In this issue
p2 A Dedicated Life
p3 Special Needs Trusts
p4 Eyes of Hope
p6 The Buzz
p7 In Memoriam
volume 25/#3 • summer 2015
What’s Holding Us Back?
By Nancy R. Weiss, Director
National Leadership
Consortium on
Developmental Disabilities
Today I had the pleasure of
listening to Lynne Seagle speak
to a group of young leaders in
North Carolina. Hope House
supports people who live in
their own homes, have jobs
and live rich, connected lives
of meaning and impact. In the
1970s and early 1980s Hope
House Foundation looked
pretty much like most agencies
that provided residential
services back then. They had a
solid reputation for providing
quality group home services.
Starting in 1984 the Hope House staff began to
question whether living in group homes and
going to day programs was really what the people
they supported wanted. They asked people a
couple of simple questions, “How would you
like your life to be different? How do you want
to live?” People said they wanted to have their
own place, live alone or with someone who was
special to them, get jobs, have a pet, be in charge
of their own schedule, do things for fun that they
chose, make money, have a girl- or boyfriend,
get married…. in other words, they wanted the
same kinds of lives all of us want.
Some organizations back in the 1980s (and
maybe even some now) might have filed away
those “what-do-people-want” survey results in
the back of a file drawer. They might have wished
they’d never asked. Once Lynne and her staff
knew that what they were providing wasn’t what
the people they supported wanted, continuing
to provide services in the same ways would have
been unconscionable. Hope House Foundation
began closing their group homes in 1984.
The thing is, 22 years after Hope House Foundation closed its last group home, Lynne is still in
great demand as a speaker. People still want to
hear her recount how Hope House closed their
group homes all those years
ago. And people don’t come
to hear about the history of
the field; the lessons Lynne
shares are absolutely relevant
to her audience today. What
keeps the shift to individualized supports mired in the
mud at the water’s edge?
Why has progress for people
with disability crept so slowly
when other kinds of progress
have marched along as we
would expect?
After listening to Lynne today,
I asked her how many people
she thinks she speaks to in
the course of a year as she
travels the country doing
presentations. She estimated
she speaks to upwards of a
thousand people a year, and
she’s been doing this kind of
training for more than 20 years.
I asked Lynne whether she often has people
contact her after one of her presentations to say,
“Our organization is going to do what you did”
and ask her to mentor them through the process.
“No”, she sighed, “It’s not like that. People like
the idea. They get excited about it. They know
it’s what’s right and they understand it’s what
should happen within their organizations, but I
can think of only one or two people who made
the decision to close their group homes and day
programs and then really went ahead and did it.
Cont’d on p.2
From the Executive Director
A Dedicated Life
“Find a job you love and you’ll never work a day
in your life.”—Confucius
When I was still in high school I am quite sure that
had I seen this quote I would not have believed it.
The adults I knew who had jobs did not illustrate
their passion for their work in this way; in fact they
behaved as if the job and its monetary rewards
were more of a means to an end. The mantra
communicated to me as a child was about working
to have a life not having a life dedicated to work.
I now understand what this statement means.
Each year Hope House Foundation’s Board of Directors hosts an annual dinner. Attendees include
our employees, people our organization supports,
volunteers, donors and members of our wider
community. We usually have 400+ in attendance,
and this year was no different. The agenda tends
to focus on the celebration of our achievements,
most importantly the longevity of individual
staff members.
In most companies
length of service is
acknowledged and
valued, but at Hope
House Foundation it
is truly honored. We
take the bulk of the
time within our agenda
to ask those who have
Lynne Seagle
Time here equates
to love, love of the
mission, love of
the job, love of civil
rights and yes,
love of self.
worked with us for 3, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25 and 30
years to be acknowledged.
I choke up every time. The emotions I feel are
varied but by far the dominant one is gratitude.
Grateful for the unflinching commitment but also
for finding a place that creates love for the work
we do in a manner that does not feel like work
but more like a calling or covenant.
After more than three decades at Hope House,
I have gained a sense of what people with
disabilities whom we support value. Certainly
it starts with a life of freedom, freedom to live
how you choose but also freedom from bigotry
and segregation. Having friends and a sense
of belonging is also a basic need, all things that
most of us value. However when having those
Dear Lynne,
I am so amazed by all you do for Hope House,
but also for anyone that asks. You have so much
experience and advice to offer, and you do so
freely. But what really stands out is the love and
support you provide your staff. I often think
“what would Lynne do” and try to imitate you
when I have difficult decisions to make with my
own staff. And, I can proudly say I now have an
incredible, hard-working team who feels supported but also is dedicated and engaged. Your
mentorship helped me to get there.”
—Kate Meechan, Executive Director
Volunteer Hampton Roads
2
things involves relying on paid staff members,
well then other things become equally important.
Things like unwavering ethics, the strength of
kindness and the ability see with wild, creative
and imaginative vision. But the one item that
consistently comes up from people we support
is longevity of staff. It takes time to really know
someone, it times time to build a trust that is
unbreakable, and it takes time to make mistakes
and learn from them.
Time here equates to love, love of the mission,
love of the job, love of civil rights and yes love of
self. It makes you feel like it’s not work, it’s your
life. That is one of our greatest achievements.
Do the right thing.
It will gratify
some people and
astonish the rest.
—Mark Twain
What’s Holding Us Back? Cont’d from p.2
It’s not an easy process, but it can be done.”
Lynne stopped and thought a few seconds and
then said, “The hardest part? The place I think
people are stuck? It’s just deciding. ”
What holds us back, keeps us from deciding? It’s
not that we don’t know how to make the shift.
It’s not that there are no models and mentors.
We know that people with disabilities who are
supported individually achieve better outcomes,
are more socially connected and that people
want to be in charge of their lives.
All I can think is that to make a major shift like
this in the way we support people forces us to
come to grips with the fact that, with the best of
intentions, and with every desire to do right by
the people we support, we’ve been underestimating them, isolating them and holding them back.
That’s an uncomfortable thought, but surely not
so uncomfortable that it justifies our allowing the
lives of the people we support to be stranded
permanently in a time gone by.
Pooled
Special Needs Trusts
By Brian Boys, Attorney with Atlantic Law PLC
In a prior article, I highlighted the distinction between First Party and
Third-Party Special Needs Trusts. Another distinction is that of Stand-Alone
Special Needs Trusts versus Pooled Special Needs Trusts.
A Stand-Alone Special Needs Trust is administered for the benefit of a single
beneficiary by a trustee, as appointed in a trust agreement, which provides
the rules of the trust. A Pooled Special Needs Trust, on the other hand, is
administered by a non-profit organization for the benefit of many beneficiaries. Assets are “pooled” together for investment purposes, and a separate
sub-account is maintained for each beneficiary. The pooled trust organization makes disbursements, selects the investment manager and fulfills
reporting requirements.
Because the pooled trust is managed by a non-profit organization, it
provides the benefit of not having to find a capable trustee to administer
the trust. Additionally, because assets are pooled for investment and
management purposes, administrative expenses can be lower than those of
a stand-alone trust.
Pooled trust accounts can be established as either first party of third party.
Like a Stand-Alone First Party Trust, a First Party Pooled Trust subaccount
can be established by a parent, grandparent, guardian, or a court and has a
Medicaid payback provision. Unlike a Stand-Alone First Party Special Needs
Trust though, a First Party Pooled Trust subaccount can also be established
by the beneficiary. Also, depending on the account balance and amount
owed to Medicaid at the beneficiary’s death, remaining assets may be used
instead for the charitable purpose of the non-profit organization.
SPOTLIGHT
Annual Dinner
Honorees
Professional commitment with a not-for-profit is becoming rare these days.
We believe it is this very longevity that has been the foundation of our
strength. The group below represents longevity to this organization and are
the ones who help us fulfill our purpose. We are proud to recognize their
service to Hope House Foundation and the people we support.
10 Years of Service
• Kenyatta Corbett, Resource Coordinator
• Verna Dickens, Support Assistant Lakewood
• Arnette Gallop, Support Staff Harrington
• Kathie Grady, Community Support Coordinator Bison
• Rhonda Saunders, Support Staff Lakewood
• Jennifer Serina, Support Staff Lakewood
• Jacqueline Skinner, Thrift Shop Sales Associate
• Christina Slater, Human Resource Manager
• Taryn Subeh, Team Leader Pelham
• Anita Washington, Support Assistant Princess Anne
15 years of Service
• Elena Montello, Development Director
• Pamela Rogers, Service Coordinator Princess Anne
• Christy Super, Support Staff Marina Heights
• Lonnie Sublett, Computer Network Administrator
25 Years of Service
• Robin Haverty, Housing Director
30 Years of Service
• Angela Stevens, Behavioral Consultant
Community Award
• Amanda Page Stephens
Jeff Miller Award
• Norfolk Southern
Board Member of the Year
• Janet Davis-Merlo
“That old law about ‘an eye for an eye’
leaves everybody blind. The time is
always right to do the right thing.”
– Martin Luther King, Jr.
3
The Eyes of Hope
Elena Montello and Ski.
Our wonderful Hope House Foundation staff celebrates 10 years.
Pam Katrancha presents Pamela Rogers with her 15 year award of service.
Dr. Tom McCune presents Katie Fletcher, Executive
Director of the Norfolk Southern Foundation, with
the Jeff Miller Award.
Rick Mapp presents Robin Haverty with 25 years of
services award.
4
Hope House Foundation– proud to be a partner.
2015 Annual Awards Dinner
Janet Davis-Merlo presents Elena Montello with 15 years of service award.
Grey Persons, immediate past president, leads the 2015 annual dinner program.
Board president Josh Harris and board member Dorothy Clark presents Angela
Stevens with 30 years of service award.
Linder “Hollywood” Lawrence presents Amanda Page Stevens with the 2015 Community Award.
“I follow three rules: Do the right thing,
do the best you can, and always show
people you care.”
Lou Holtz
Board member Jon Gray the 2014 Board Member of the Year
presents Janet Davis- Merlo with the 2015 Board Member of
the Year award.
5
The Spring and Fall Stockley Gardens Arts Festival builds community
through the arts. More than 25,000 people attend each festival,
and they raise $120,000 to support Hope House Foundation.
Making a Change in 2015
By James Burney
As an experienced advocate, I never feel the need
to stop what I am doing. The more I get involved,
the more I feel rewarded from helping others.
Set high goals for yourself this year. As your
journey through this year striving to reach those
goals, you will be surprised how far you get. The
more you accomplish in reaching those goals,
your determination will increase and you will feel
good about yourself. As I continue to inspire others, they continue to inspire
me back. This inspiration
is what encourages me to
carry on with advocacy.
I hope my dedication motivates you all to advocate
The Buzz is produced by
people supported by Hope
for yourself.
HAVE YOU
HEARD THE
BUZZ?
6
House Foundation and
is coordinated by Kim
Enesey.
With sadness we honor
the passing of John Smith
John came to public notice in 1984 when he was shot by Norfolk police in a
game of Russian roulette that they termed “horse play.” When told that her
only son had been shot, his mother incurred severe medical distress and
died within a couple weeks. After a year in Norfolk General Hospital, John
was back in the community without support.
Burke Margulies was appointed John’s limited guardian to manage the
settlement with the City of Norfolk, but he realized that John needed services he could not provide. Kathryn Byler, another attorney with Pender &
Coward, brought the matter before the courts resulting in the appointment
of Jewish Family Service as his legal guardian in 2007, but the problem of
funding for services persisted. John was homeless and destitute.
Moments of joy and a sense of belonging were offered by Channing Pfeiffer
and a small group aware of John’s plight. They solicited the help of former
Councilman Randy Wright and Hope House executive director Lynne Seagle
ultimately gaining entry to the Medicaid Waiver system in 2011. At long last,
John found a home at Hope House where he received the services and support he needed. Thanks to Hope House, the last three years of John’s life
were the best he ever knew.
Kathryn Byler, Channing Pfeiffer and John Smith
“Sometimes it is better to lose
and do the right thing than to win and
do the wrong thing.”
Thank you, Board of Directors
– Tony Blair
Hope House Foundation Board of Directors
20% off any purchase with this ad—Thru 9/30/15
1800 Monticello Avenue • Norfolk
1100 N. George Washington Hwy • Chesapeake
Open Monday through Sunday 10am–6pm
Joshua Harris, President
Anne Standing, Vice President
Janet Davis-Merlo, Secretary
Jonathan Gray, Treasurer
Dorothy Clark
Matthew Fine
Pam Katrancha
Pete Leddy
Richard C. Mapp III
Tom McCune, M.D.
Peggy Meder
Thomas Moss III
Jeff Parker
Grey Persons
Jacqueline Schillereff
DiAna White
Lynne Seagle, Executive Director
7
Nonprofit Org.
U.S. Postage
PAID
Norfolk, VA
Permit #535
801 Boush Street
Suite 302
Norfolk, VA 23510
www.hope-house.org
757-625-6161
757-625-7775 fax
Hope House is a certified
United Way of Hampton Roads
agency. Designation #5070
summer 2015
events
BE OUR FRIEND!
August 29Open House for NEW Hope House Thrift Shop. 1100 N. George Washington Highway,
Chesapeake. 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Enjoy snacks, face painting and deals at our newest location. October 3Chelsea 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 17–18TowneBank presents the 2015 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 25Jake’s Place Men’s Spa presents the 2015 Beards, Bands and Brews. To benefit Hope House Foundation.
2 to 6 p.m. at O’Connor’s Brewery. This event features two local bands, oysters, pig and great beer. Tickets are
$30/advance or $35/door. Contact Keeley Fenning at 757-625-6161, X 509.
Visit Hope-House-Thrift-Store.com to find out about the Thrift Shop’s daily and biweekly deals.