2019 Volunteer Dinner

On April 8th, the Jill’s House community had an incredible time celebrating the volunteers that help make this house feel like a home. Volunteers, staff, family, and friends gathered for a special dinner in honor of the men and women working behind the scenes.

As they enjoyed a delicious meal, guests heard from Brenda and her son Brady, a cherished Jill’s House family. Brenda shared her experiences, challenges, and triumphs of raising a son with intellectual disabilities, while Brady joyfully expressed some of his favorite times at Jill’s House.

Jill’s House has 200 active volunteers at our Tysons location that step into a variety of roles. They serve as Group Buddies, Kitchen Helpers, Administrative Helpers, and Receptionists on the weekends and weekdays. Within these roles, volunteers help create a welcoming, friendly, and loving environment for our kids to feel comfortable and free to be themselves.

“Jill’s House simply would not exist without our volunteers and their faithful service here. We could not run our programs, host our events, or complete our work without their help, and we are overwhelmed with gratitude for their choice to partner with us in this important mission.”
– Mary Rachel Robbins, Volunteer Program Manager

Thank you to all our volunteers for the invaluable work you do for our kids and families. We also want to recognize the tremendous work of Mary Rachel, who has served Jill’s House faithfully for over 6 years. She has continuously gone above and beyond to provide the best possible care for every member of the Jill’s House community. Thank you for your service!

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Night of Worship

“Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth; break forth
into joyous song and sing praises!”
– Psalm 98:4

On March 17th, fifty members of the local community gathered together for the first ever “Night of Worship” at Jill’s House. It was incredible to witness the mix of kids and their families, staff, and volunteers, as they filled the halls with open hearts and lively spirits. While kids screamed and moved about in time with the voices joining together, a joyful noise erupted towards the heavens. This evening truly embraced the importance of fellowship, scripture reading, and worship through song.

It can be easy to overlook the significance of simple experiences, but for our families, they cherish the opportunity to worship with their kids, and not apart from them. Through this night of inclusive worship, we saw the beautiful example of how serving one another enables others to experience rest, renewal, and intimate relationships.

A Jill’s House parent shared,

“I felt at home worshiping with those who face similar situations as we do. It was lovely praising God with this community! The music was uplifting and encouraging. It was so nice not to have to worry about our daughter acting out. I usually have to go to our daughter’s Sunday school with her, so I don’t get to go to ‘adult’ worship that often. It was so nice to have the chance to do that with everyone tonight, and it just felt like I was home.”

As a community, Jill’s House is so thankful for any opportunity to gather in the Lord’s name and sing His praises together. Every person, regardless of age, gender, race, or disability were made to worship.