Volume 11, Issue 1
Spring 2011
Woodley House News
“My feelings are sometimes like tissue paper”
Recently a resident of Valenti House disclosed ‘My feelings are sometimes like tissue paper’ which is a wonderful
description of how she, and so many of us feel at times. We might appear strong to the outside world, but deep inside,
we know how vulnerable we are. This is when the support of family and friends is so important - being connected to
someone who cares can make all the difference. And really, connections is what it’s all about, in so many ways.
It’s such a Washington phrase ... ‘He’s got connections’ ... conjuring up lobbyists roaming the halls of Congress or
corporate CEOs making deals over lunch or on the golf course. Who you know and who knows you - it makes the world
go round. In our nonprofit world, our connections are equally critical to our existence. Over the 53 years that Woodley
House has been serving the mentally ill, we’ve made wonderful friends and connections throughout the District …
families of our consumers and staff, physicians and therapists in the mental health field, and those very special
people who are simply interested in mental health and helping those in need in our community. And new friends are
vital to our existence … one person introduces Woodley House to another who then mentions us to another and
suddenly, we have a supportive network to help spread the word about what we do and who we serve.
You never know when your connections can make a difference. A friend might be distressed about a brother, sister or
child who has suddenly withdrawn from life, become depressed or displayed other signs of mental disturbance and
they don’t know where to turn. Your connection to Woodley House could help, as we’ve been serving people with
mental illness for over 50 years. Or if someone simply has household items to donate … Woodley House again - as we
always need things for our residents. We all help each other … connections.
Woodley House is truly thankful for the many people, businesses and organizations that we call friends. We deeply
appreciate your generous support of our annual appeals, Help the Homeless Walkathon and Annual Movie Benefit.
But support comes in many guises … some people donate household goods, others volunteer their time to paint or
garden, and some find special ways to help, like creating a Media Center (please see p. 2 for details). We want to
highlight a special Woodley House friend, Valerie Johnson of KEYS for the Homeless, whose organization has given us
so many wonderful donations from local hotels and stores, from bathrobes to coffee makers to furnishings for Valenti
House and Crossing Place. She is a very special friend of Woodley House and a great example of how one person can
make a difference. (See the article below to learn a bit more about Valerie.)
So please remember how important you are to your friends in the community — and stay connected!
KEYS for the Homeless Founder, Valerie Johnson
It started so simply … a church project to teach teenagers how to give back to the community.
Families were asked to collect those free hotel toiletries to repackage in decorated shoe
boxes to give to the homeless. Valerie Johnson didn’t have a closetful of these toiletries but
thought that maybe hotels might be interested in donating to this worthwhile church project
and was delighted when they were more than happy to help. Then a short time later, a friend
recommended the John Grisham book The Street Lawyer about a DC lawyer for the homeless
which rekindled her interest in helping the homeless and the seed was planted. Out of the
blue, one of the hotels called to say they were changing the color of their linens and could she
use their old ones for the homeless. Not hesitating a moment, she said YES and her idea
took flight. Valerie became the catalyst between area hotels and (see. p. 3) Valerie Johnson & Linda Meixner with donations
Page 2
Woodley House, Inc.
Woodley House News
Gary Frye — Executive Director‟s Report
Founder:
Joan Doniger (1922-72)
Board of Trustees
Matthew Cafritz:
President
Vicky Marchand: Vice President
Leslie W. Fitch:
Secretary
William Buchanan:
Treasurer
Lou Hill Davidson
At-Large
Sarah Howard:
At-Large
Diane Renzulli
At-Large
Norman Schneider:
At-Large
Debra Barrett
Dana Bash
Frederic Burke, Jr.
Holly Clubok
Grace Guggenheim
As winter slowly drew to an end, the staff of Woodley House took on springtime renewal in
very personal ways, donating their time and individual talents to improve the lives of our
consumers. The first new project was for Valenti House when Ed Barnett and Alejandro
Portugal renovated the meeting room and powder room in the basement which looks
infinitely better. To simplify our maze of required paperwork, Maria Paipa and Stellvonne
Jackson improved our program for clinical filing to afford quicker access to archived
materials. Linda Meixner provided plants and accents for a little spring renewal for our
facilities and offices, while Diane Spruill and Bill Magnum undertook a systematic upgrade
for our apartments and condos, replacing appliances and furnishings. And Jacque Waller led
a new project to create an area for a Food Bank which will help all our consumers (those in
our group homes and also in our supported living apartments) by providing better access to
nutritious foods.
In a time when resources are scarce, each person reached into their own personal time and
capabilities to improve our programs and the lives of our consumers. They are inspirational
and deserve all of our sincere thanks – they certainly have mine.
Matthew Hoffman
Isabel Jasinowski
Wendell G. Miles, MD
Ann T. Pincus
Diane Straus Tucker
Holly Wittenberg
Consumer Representatives:
Ernestine M.
Emma Jean W.
Advisory Board
Donald A. Brown
Lloyd Hand
Derrick Humphries
Kay R. Jamison, Ph.D.
LaSalle Leffall, MD
Carol Pensky
Joseph Perpich, MD
Hello and Goodbye … Board of Trustees
Every January our Board of Trustees welcomes new Board members and says a fond farewell
to those who are stepping away. This year we reluctantly said good-bye to four esteemed
members of our board: Catherine May, MD, Jim Nathanson, David Wheeler and Gayle
Greene. They added so much to Woodley House and will be sorely missed.
As we say good-bye to our old friends, we welcome three new
members to our Board: Debra Barrett, Dana Bash and Holly
Wittenberg. We know they will contribute great energy and
expertise to the Board and to Woodley House itself. Our Board
members are all volunteers, donating their efforts for Woodley
House and their community. In our hectic world, that is a very
large contribution indeed and Woodley House is very grateful to
each and every member of our Board of Trustees.
Mary Margaret Valenti
New board members, Holly Wittenberg & Dana Bash
Courtenay Valenti
Clarice Walker
Mallory Walker
Executive Director: Gary W. Frye
Clinical Director: Maria Paipa-Farias
Development Director: Linda Meixner
Residential Director: Edward Barnett
Woodley House, Inc.
1408 No. Capitol Street, NW
Washington, DC 20002
202-290-1375; fax: 202-629-1519
[email protected]
www.woodleyhouse.org
United Way CFC # 8216
© Woodley House. Inc. 2010
Linda Meixner: Editor
Development Details
By Linda Meixner
Gabrielle Barnett (daughter of Residential Director, Ed Barnett)
won her Girl Scouts Gold Award, along with the sincere gratitude
of our Valenti House residents for creating our new Media Center.
She wanted to give something of lasting value to the community
and she succeeded! Securing donations of a large TV and storage
cabinet, she collected movies, games and books for our residents
to use, sparking a new weekly Movie Night and Game Night at
Valenti House. Gabrielle is a terrific example of someone thinking
outside of the box to support her community in a lasting way.
Residents will enjoy her efforts for years to come.
Ed & Gabrielle Barnett
And a special thank you to all our supporters throughout 2010. We couldn’t continue to do
what we do without you. Please see our website for a complete list of our wonderful donors.
Volume 11, Issue 1
Page 3
Annual Movie Event - A „Morning Glory-ous‟ Evening!
Our 14th Annual Movie Benefit featuring Paramount Pictures’ Morning Glory was a great
success - and a wonderfully fun evening! After a festive reception at Spices Restaurant
where people had a chance to start the holiday season off with great food and drinks,
everyone walked across the street to the Uptown Theater where Honorary Host, Katharine
Weymouth, publisher of The Washington Post, presented opening remarks which were
personal, witty and insightful, setting a perfect tone for the evening to come. She
presented our Donald A. Brown Rose Award to two friends of Woodley House who have
been extraordinary in their commitment and support to both Woodley House and to the
larger community itself - Lou Hill Davidson and Willy Walker. Their words upon receiving
their awards were both moving and inspiring and reminded us all of why we were gathered
in the theater to begin with - for the men and women who face mental illness each day
and work toward recovery and reintegration into the community.
And then of course, the movie itself … a very funny comedy staring Harrison Ford, Diane
Keaton and Rachel McAdams. Just a terrific evening all around. And of course, all funds
raised went directly to support our programs that are so critical to helping our mentally ill
residents find stability and a chance to return to lives they once knew. Thank you all for
coming - and we hope to see you all again next year!
Ellie Glass, Mary Margaret Valenti, Andy Glass
Andrea Mitchell & Rose Award Honoree,
Willy Walker
Woodley House … on the move (literally!)
In mid-December the administrative offices for Woodley
House moved from our former location with Green Door on
Taylor Street, NW to our new home on No. Capitol Street,
NW across from the Department of Mental Health. Green
Door needed more office space, so this was an opportunity
for us to explore a new neighborhood - one that is filled with
other community-based nonprofits and a host of welcoming
neighbors. A chaotic December, but what a great beginning
to the New Year!
We especially want to thank new friends like Donna Brown
at Bradley, Arent, Boult, Cummings LLP, Etreev.com and the
Adams Morgan Main Street Group for donating all our office
furniture. Knowing we had only a few weeks to move and to
find all new furniture FOR FREE was a challenge, but with
the help of great friends, we did it! Thank you everyone …
Matt Cafritz, Ann Pincus, Bob and
Pat Schieffer, Anne Cafritz
Katharine Weymouth, Diana Walker
Lou Hill Davidson, Rose Award Honoree
KEYS - continued...
businesses who wanted to donate items to those in need
and the organizations who so desperately needed them, a
win-win situation for all. Val was on one of her many trips
driving across Key Bridge to shuttle donated items to
homeless shelters and nonprofits when it all suddenly
crystallized. She was working to end homelessness by
bridging together the hospitality industry and the
homeless community. So on Key Bridge, KEYS for the
Homeless was born! In 2005 KEYS became a nonprofit,
impacting our community in a BIG way. Over 50 hotels
and businesses partner with KEYS, happy to see their
gently used items going to over 45 groups helping the
homeless. They have given us so much: furniture, linens,
robes, clock radios and coffeepots - basic goods to meet
real life needs. Thank you KEYS and thank you Valerie!
NONPROFIT ORG.
U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
WASHINGTON, DC
PERMIT 1801
A Place to Live, to Be, to Recover
Woodley House, Inc
1408 No. Capitol Street, NW
Washington, DC 20002
Phone: 202-290-1375
Fax: 202-629-1519
Email: [email protected]
We’re on the Web!
www.woodleyhouse.org
Would you like to receive our newsletter
online? If yes, please email us at:
[email protected]
Inside Woodley House
Woodley House was home for more than 300 individuals last year. For some, it was only a
brief period at Crossing Place for crisis stabilization, while for others it was for much longer at
Valenti House (our transitional home), Holly House (our long-term group home) or our
Supported Independent Living apartments and condominiums throughout the city. But for
however long, Woodley House was home … dinners around the table, cooking and chores,
arguing over the remote, a sense of belonging to a group … home. And we’re there for each
one – in whatever way they need us.
Sam* has been with Woodley House since 2007 in a semi-independent apartment. He has
lived most of his 74 years on the east coast, working as a technical repairman among other
jobs. For his first few years at Woodley House, Sam was very quiet, almost ‘grumpy’ as one
person put it, but recently, he’s started to interact more openly and smiles quite often! He
regularly attends our Day Program and really connects with it as well as with the other
participants and it’s made a big difference. Mental illness is part of his life, and he’s learning
to live with it. He’s also facing other challenges, such as a diagnosis of cancer for which he’s
undergoing chemotherapy. This winter he received an unexpected boost from a grant from
the Edes Home Foundation that paid for cab fare to his chemo appointments (instead of the
bus) and spruced up his bedroom. This has made things so much nicer for him – and another
other reason to smile!
Tom* (44) came to Woodley House last February and is already looking forward to getting his
own apartment. First diagnosed with depression in his early 20’s, he graduated from college
and worked as a reporter for years before debilitating anxiety and tension forced him to stop.
Learning to cope each day is the first step and Tom has come a long way. He has a job and is
becoming a productive part of our community. Congratulations to Tom - and to all of our
Woodley House family members.
(* Names have been changed to protect privacy.)
Wish List
Many of our residents
come to us with very little,
so they can use so many
things, especially those
who are moving into our
Supported Living Program
apartments. They really
need …
Vacuum cleaners
Curtains
Bedding, spreads, etc.
Artwork for their walls
Rugs
And really, everything ...