Annette Porter, 2nd Vice President for the APD receives a check for $250.00 from Telly Bonaduce, owner of Pistone’s Italian restaurant in Falls Church.

This first time Eat for a Cause fundraiser was held on May 22 from 5PM-9 PM. Patrons of Pistone’s and friends and family of Merica House enjoyed dining out with a portion of the proceeds going to Merica House.

The dinning room in Pistone’s was full, service was great and as always the food excellent.

Wow! While the temperatures on March 10th soared to spring like conditions in Arlington, Virginia, the Creative Arts Center was packed with people that came out to support the Merica House 2013 Zumbathon.

This year we had even more participants thanks to the staff at the Creative Art Center. Owner of the studio, Mr. Emerson Doyle, donated the use of the facility and was our biggest sponsor.  Zumba instructor, Gaby Macias, brought in a team of Zumba instructors that kept the music going and everyone dancing.

Organized by Kathy Shields and Gaby Macias, the event was a huge success and fun for all. Gaby’s team led a roomful of fitness buffs and wanna be’s in one of the most enjoyable types of exercise available.

There were representatives from APD, as well as three residents from Merica House. Our thanks go out to everyone who made the event so successful. The Zumbathon raised $600.00 for Merica House.

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Winston Churchill once said ….” We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.” It is difficult to put a dollar value on volunteer time. Volunteers provide many intangibles that can not be easily quantified. Volunteers demonstrate the amount of support an organization has within a community, provide work for short periods of time and provide support on a wide range of projects. The estimated dollar value of volunteer time for 2011 was $21.36 per hour. Last year, 3,554 volunteer hours were given to Merica House.

It is of utmost importance to note that during this time our residents have developed a meaningful relationship with all our volunteers who have so willingly and spontaneously given of their time, talent, energy and support.

As noted by Independent Sector, a leadership network for nonprofits, “describing the outcome of volunteer efforts and contrasting those against the actual costs is a more promising approach and may very well become the new best practice in volunteer program management in the near future. At minimum, it is more accurate and more respectful.“

When you volunteer it benefits the group as well as the community. It can also benefit you, the volunteer, in many ways. So many times we have heard our volunteers say the residents at Merica House have given them more than they have given. It is through this friendship and respect we all have grown to appreciate what our volunteers have given to our residents.

Our residents at Merica House are disabled but they have a sense of humor, enjoy engaging in a conversation and being part of a group. One person can make a difference, but when that difference is multiplied, it can be life changing. When you show family and friends how fulfilling volunteering can be, you set the example for others to follow.

We thank all our volunteers for the many hours they have given to us, the residents, at Merica House.