This February (and every month!), we are deeply grateful for the incredible generosity of our monthly donors. Your consistent support is the lifeblood of CRi, enabling us to expand our community-based programs and provide crucial support services to individuals with developmental disabilities. Every contribution, no matter the size, makes a tangible difference in the lives of those we serve.
Celebrating Our Generous Community: A Look Back at 2024 and A Glimpse Ahead to 2025
Today, in honor of this newsletter, our inaugural issue, I want to express CRi's gratitude for the incredible generosity, care, and compassion that you and our community of donors, volunteers, and partners share with us. Your consistent support is the lifeblood of CRi, enabling us to be an integral component of changing people's lives, including Sam Babington, who, after a couple of months after moving out of his family's home for independent living, learned how to feed himself.
Last November, we introduced you to Sam, his parents DeAnne and Andy, and CRi's Oak Street Intermediate Care Facility (ICF) group home and the incredible staff who work at Oak, supporting Sam and his five housemates. Through your generosity, CRi reinvests in our greatest resource, our staff, offering them specialized training, they put into action working with our folks. CRi's staff, dedicated to respecting and assisting each person, support Sam, and his housemates as they work to achieve the goals they have chosen to focus on. For every person receiving our services, achieving their goals will help them achieve greater independence. Every contribution CRi receives is making a tangible difference in their lives.
Consider visiting CRi’s YouTube channel to watch and learn more about Sam, his journey, and CRi's specialized services offered in our ICF's.
2024: An Amazing Year of Giving and Community Impact
Last summer, CRi hosted our third “SummerFest Celebration.” SummerFest is a one-of-a-kind event; built on CRi’s mission and values grounded in providing for greater community inclusion and engagement opportunities, helping build independent living skills for the folks we are called to assist and support. On June 8th, 2024, almost 500 people arrived at our Chantilly, Virginia headquarters, excited to celebrate. SummerFest, the only event of its kind, is possible because of our generous donors, sponsors, and volunteers, who give from their hearts and understand the unique and diverse needs of the people we care for and assist. We were thrilled by the success of SummerFest, and your outpouring of generosity, especially the transformational gifts offered by The Shrivastava Family and Google. We have begun our work on our 2025 SummerFest Celebration, with a new venue, and greater community inclusion, with details coming soon.
As the leaves began to change, our community's generosity continued to shine at An Autumn Evening of Enchantment. Just three months after SummerFest, your response to our new event was inspiring. From the Barns at Wolf Trap, CRi welcomed many long-time donors, new first-time guests, and sponsors. Without a doubt, the evening's most memorable moments included our guests from many of our Group Homes.
Please, let me say thank you again, for sharing your support with CRi. Working together, we make quite the team with lasting impact. Our mission focused work, helping people achieve their greatest independence, is on fire! Last year, CRi assisted hundreds of men and women, with each person receiving the highly specialized services and support, needed, tailored to their unique needs. At CRi, our services reach many groups of people, including young adults aging out of Foster Care, people with severe mental health conditions, intellectual, developmental disabilities, and/or combined diagnoses. Thank you again, for making a difference and helping us assist 700-plus folks, who are achieving their goals, living in safe, secure, and affordable homes, and continuing to build the living skills they require for a life of quality and joy.
Looking Ahead in 2025
As we look forward to 2025, we are excited to announce our upcoming Evening Honoring our Donors and Valued Stakeholders. The event will be hosted at the Westfields Marriott on March 28, 2025.
Click here to learn more about this event and reserve your spot!
