Great Chefs & Wineries Goes Virtual

Dear Lifehouse Community,

For the first time in Great Chefs & Wineries 30-year history, it is with a heavy heart that Lifehouse regretfully must cancel the April 18 2020 event. This event is a significant fundraiser for Lifehouse. I am grateful for your patience as we have explored other options and we are excited to announce that we will move from a physical event to a virtual event!

Because the auction is such a critical part of our fundraising efforts, Lifehouse will really need your help in offsetting the lost revenue from this cancelation. We will be holding a “Virtual Silent Auction”. Auction items will be available to bid starting April 3, with new items added regularly. The silent auction will close at 5:00 PM on Saturday, April 18, 2020, the date our event was originally scheduled.

We are also working with our auctioneer, Damon Casatico, in presenting a “Virtual Live Auction” with some fabulous experiences. The list of “live auction” items will be available to review prior to April 18. Details to follow. Please remember that Great Chefs & Wineries generates a substantial portion of the funds raised by Lifehouse each year, thus we urge you to participate in the online auction and raffle, and also to encourage your friends to participate. Stay tuned for more details on our virtual event.

With the cancellation of the physical event, Lifehouse would like to extend the following options to those who have already purchased tickets and reserved tables:

1. Donate your ticket and/or table to Lifehouse and receive a tax deduction for the full purchase price.

2. If you would like to receive a refund, please contact Nancy Dow Moody

at 415-526-5309.

Please remember we will continue to recognize our sponsors, restaurants, wineries and other vendors in upcoming advertising, newsletters, and social media.

Thank you for supporting Lifehouse and the over 360 people with developmental disabilities that we serve and our 400+ wonderful staff who are working diligently to get us through this crisis.

Sincerely,

Nancy Dow Moody

President & CEO

Mighty Expectations

“We are all the same, regardless of our challenges because we all have them.”

– Lidia Que-Macedo, Parent

In August of 2018, after 65 years of service Lifehouse has come full circle by opening Great Expectations Inclusive Preschool. The preschool is a collaboration between Lifehouse, the Marin County Office of Education and Dominican University and is the first of its kind in Marin.

Here in a short film; filmmaker Chikara Motomura captures the young minds of Great Expectations students playing and learning together regardless of their differences. The benefits of this inclusive program can be seen through the compassion, creativity, and a healthy sense of curiosity that these young children of all abilities are developing. 

To learn more about Great Expectations Inclusive Preschool please visit www.greatexpectationsmarin.org .

A Season of Gratitude

Alchemia

Amani in Rohnert Park

The Arc San Francisco

The Arc Solano

Autistry Studios

Becoming Independent

Casa Allegra Community Services

Cedars

CHDC (Growth Opportunities/REI)

Cole Vocational Services

Crossroads Community Options 

Days Out - Behavior Management Program

Different Strokes

Dungarvin California

Goodwill Industries

Gone for Good

IMPACT Fairfield

Kreative Community Services

Dear friends of Lifehouse,

Three hundred people with developmental disabilities call Lifehouse home. Many benefit from day services from other agencies throughout the Bay Area.

In the spirit of the holiday, we want to show our gratitude by acknowledging those agencies for the fine programs they provide to Lifehouse residents. Thank you for your collaboration in providing services to individuals with developmental disabilities in our community.

With Gratitude,

Nancy Dow Moody

President & CEO

Learning Without Limits Suisun

Jessica's Haven & Rescue

Marin Ventures

Milestones Developmental Center

Napa Valley PSI

Napa Valley Support Services

New Beginnings Vallejo

No Barriers

North Bay Excursions

North Bay Industries

OADS/UCP of the North Bay

Oaks of Hebron

PACE Solano

Pride Industries

Solano Adult Day Health Center

Solano Diversified Services

Vine Village

WineBev Services

Life(house) with Julia

Meet Julia- She is a part of the weekly activity based program, TRIP which supports teens from ages 13 to 22. The program is an opportunity for teens and young adults with developmental disabilities to foster physical, intellectual, and social development skills in a community based setting.  They currently have a weekly bowling meet-up on Thursday’s here in San Rafael.

It’s not hard to spot Julia in a crowd; her bright blue cap is covered in colorful anime buttons that she collects at different Anime Cons from her favorite artists. She readily admits that she is addicted to growing her collection but is very particular in choosing buttons that are true to her. 

Most of the buttons are Anime characters but some are odes to adolescent slang like “I ship it”- according to Urban Dictionary, it means: “when you imagine two people would be good in a relationship together.”   

Although she is an avid gamer girl and a millennial, Julia says that people use their cellphones too much. When she isn’t gaming, Julia likes to draw in her sketchbook that she brings just about everywhere. In the pages of her sketchbook, she has the freedom to illuminate her art around the theme of symmetry. Each shape is precisely outlined and colored in with sharpie, solely defined by the bleeds of the ink into the paper.

For more information or to inquire about activities with TRIP, please contact Mike Sus at msus@lifehouseagency.org.

Life (house) with Teodros

Meet Teodros- He has been a Lifehouse resident for the last six years and currently lives at Laurel House group home. Teodros’ polite temperament and genuine personality makes him delightful to chat with and be around. Like all of our Lifehouse residents in the Independent Living Service (ILS) program, Teodros sets goals for him to live as independently as possible and receives guidance from our expertly trained direct service professionals who help execute his plan to reach them.

Teodros’ current goals are becoming more organized and disciplined in recording and managing his appointments and weekly schedule, budgeting and saving money, and learning kitchen safety and to cook on his own. With sharpening these skills, Teodros hopes to find a job or volunteer position and to be able to move on to an even more independent living situation with less staff support.

In his free time, Teodros enjoys getting out and about in the community. He speaks fondly of spending time with Lifehouse resident Chloe. Together, they venture to the movies and museums. They also share a love for music and dance. You can see them showing off their dance skills at the annual Great Chefs and Wineries resident performance!

Are you interested in art, travel or Sci-fi? Then you and Teodros will get along just fine. He has an extensive and dynamic book collection that can take you on many adventures, from the Amazon rainforest to the fantasy world and chronicles of The Hobbit. His most prized of them all is H.G. Wells’ Time Machine.

Teodros’ enthusiasm for Sci-fi animation and cartoons have led him to take animation classes at Alchemia day program once a week. For the rest of the week, he attends the Autisry Studios program, which is geared towards facilitating learning experiences in education, vocation, and physical fitness. Particularly, this program supports Teodros in taking courses at College of Marin. He completed a math course just this last semester.

At Lifehouse, it is believed that the combined efforts of day and supported living programs can help individuals, such as Teodros, live inspired, purposeful and independent lives.