Writing on the Wall: Summer 2022

<strong>Writing</strong>
on the
Wall
Summer 2022
A Love Story:
John popped the question. Elena said yes! Page 3
4
Two Amazing Women
Alyssa & Laurie crowned age category
winners for Virginia Miss Amazing
5 6
Hands On Learning & Connection
Central VA WRAP DSPs enjoy a special
training & networking event
A Minature World Comes to Life
Exceptional fine motor and storytelling skills
combine to create an intricate miniature home

Director’s Corner
John Weatherspoon
“It’s so good to see you!” was the
greeting heard again and again, as the
past few months brought the precious
opportunity to gather safely. Since our
last newsletter, the state has opened
up for more in person interaction
of Sponsored Providers and staff.
Among these was our first Provider
Meeting in over two years! Held at
the end of April, it was an amazing
success. I want to thank everyone
who made the event a reality, from
the fantastic presenters to the staff
who pulled it all together. It was a
balm to be able to spend time with so
many dedicated, inspirational people.
The leadership team was so moved
by our experiences and interactions
at the Provider Meeting that we
immediately started making plans
for something similar with staff and
begun looking for locations to have
our next in person Provider gathering.
We have since followed up with small
in person meetings with Providers in
various regions of the state. If I have
not been to your area yet, keep a look
out for a notification that members of
the leadership team will be visiting to
hear your feedback. We have already
brought back what we learned from
the first of these listening sessions and
made changes to help us grow as an
agency.
While the ability to hold virtual meetings
has been necessary to ensure
safety and can be a convenient way to
connect quickly when needed, there is
nothing like the face-to-face time we
took for granted pre-pandemic. The
return of the opportunity to connect
in person has proven very meaningful
and we appreciate the flexibility
that is allowing it to happen. We look
forward to seeing you soon at the in
person regional gatherings.
Within this issue, you will find inspirational
stories of people living out
their dreams. You’ll also read about
those who advocate for others and
provide the support to make those
dreams reality. When we invite people
from outside of our day-to-day operations
to meetings like the Provider
Meeting in April, I always hear how
they love to participate because it is
good for their soul. Their amazement
at what people (sponsors, group home
providers, individuals, staff, etc.) are
doing in their communities is another
common refrain. This is part of what
makes working here such a gift. I am
always inspired by you. Thank you!
Advocates for a Lifetime
Sheila and Fred Butler have only been
Wall Residences Providers for about a
year and half, but the couple has been
making a difference for others for
decades.
They were foster parents to multiple
children, eventually adopting their
son from the foster care system. Fred
is retired after 27 years of service
with the Coast Guard. Sheila, who
has served in various caregiving roles
her entire career, is a fierce advocate
who looks for solutions. For the man
they currently support, she secured
grant funding to access speech therapy
at Old Dominion University. When
told her program manager praised
her efforts to get him the extra help
needed, she shrugs it off. “I had to
do it if he was going to get the help.”
While Sheila has a very nonchalant
attitude about all she does to fight for
the man they support, Fred makes it
2
clear. “If it isn’t going right for him,”
Fred says, “For her, it’s on!” That
advocacy and the support they provide
at home has made a big difference for
the individual they support, who has
blossomed under their care.
The Butlers became providers
after seeing the impact of Sponsored
Residential when Sheila worked in
a local Wall Residences service. It’s
a decision both are glad they made.
They love being able to offer opportunities
to others and as Sheila says,
“He gives us back so much more than
we do for him.”

Congratulations
John & Elena!
John and Elena met at work 13 years ago, quickly becoming
friends. After both left that job, a decade passed with
rare interactions. When life brought them back together,
John knew it was a forever love match and presented
Elena with a sparkly ring. “He was so excited, he forgot
to get down on one knee!“ laughs Elena. That didn’t stop
her from answering with a resounding YES! The two
share that he proposed a second time in front of her
family and this time he did get down on his knee. The
happy couple recently enjoyed an engagement portrait
session, where they absolutely glowed from just being
together. We wish you every happiness, John and Elena!

They’re Amazing!
Top: Shooting Star Winner Laurie
Bottom: Junior Miss Winner Alyssa
Just call them amazing…
Miss Amazing, that is!
Alyssa and Laurie were
among the dozens of
women who competed in
the Virginia Miss Amazing
pageant, an event that
highlights the accomplishments
of women with
disabilities.
The event was held virtually
this year and each
contestant submitted videos
of their talent performance
and participated in
an online interview with
a panel of judges. Both
women chose to sing as
their talent performance,
with Laurie doing a beautiful
rendition of Cyndi
Lauper’s Girls Just Wanna
Have Fun and Alyssa sharing a
gorgeous version of Let It Go
from Frozen. Both loved the talent
portion of the Miss Amazing
experience. Alyssa commented,
“Talent was the most fun!”
During an online awards
ceremony, Alyssa was crowned
Miss Amazing Junior Miss
Queen and Laurie was crowned
Miss Amazing Shooting Star.
The Virginia Miss Amazing
pageant crowns winners
in multiple age categories,
including the two that Laurie
and Alyssa won. Tiaras and
trophies were presented to all
the winners. Some age categories,
including Alyssa’s,
are designated as “Queens”
and can go on to participate as their
state’s representative at the national
Miss Amazing pageant!
The national Miss Amazing website
states, “Miss Amazing Queens are
disability advocates and community
leaders who are dedicated to making
the world a better place. This July,
over 150 Miss Amazing Queens will
meet each other in Nashville, Tennessee
to make connections, share
resources, and celebrate their achievements.”
Alyssa is thrilled to have the
opportunity to travel to Nashville. For
the national pageant, she’s preparing
a spoken introduction of her strengths
and interests, will sing Girl on Fire by
Alicia Keys, and is looking forward
to “meeting new people.”
Alyssa is active in Special Olympics,
helps around the house, and was
considered trustworthy enough to
earn a job working in the restaurant
of the FBI side of the Marine Base in
Quantico, which required a security
clearance. She loves concerts and
is very excited for the upcoming
Big Time Rush reunion tour. Of
The Jonas Brothers, she says, “I’m
their biggest fan!”
For Laurie, the 2022 Virginia Miss
Amazing pageant was the first time
she had ever done anything like the
contest and provided a wonderful
opportunity to sing solo for a public
audience. Asked if it was fun, she
responds with an enthusiastic, “Yes!”
She is hoping to have more chances
to sing for others again in the future
and has a dream of going to a recording
studio.
Congratulations to Virginia Miss
Amazing Shooting Star Laurie and
Virginia Miss Amazing Junior Miss
Queen Alyssa!
~Angie Covington
4

WRAP Immersive Learning Event
In April, the Central Virginia WRAP
Team of Program Managers and DSPs
gathered at Riverside Park in Lynchburg
for a day of training, networking,
supervision, and fun. Since early
2020, our trainings for and with DSPs
have been held mostly individually,
virtually, or during supervisions which
had left many field staff feeling disconnected
and like they are sometimes
working extremely independently. We
wanted to celebrate the opportunity
to come together in-person, allowing
DSPs to engage with their counterparts
and to introduce new faces. It
was a hit!
WRAP DSPs and participants enjoyed a day of fun. Above: DSPs
Densie Bateman, Concetta Barksdale, and Rennie Covington.
Left: Brandy with DSP Colby Riley
Our goal was to create an experience
for DSPs to train on poignant topics
that avoided a lecture style of learning
and instead allowed each to participate
in immersive learning!
We developed
different stations
with art activities
that they could do
while interacting
with a PM who was
training on a specific
topic. We covered
items like documentation,
MARs/
Medications during
WRAP, community
networking, and
more. Our gathering
was a floating
event where DSPs
could come, bring the individuals they
support (who also participated in the
activities), learn more about our training
topics, have snacks, and engage
with their larger team as they were
available throughout the day.
We had so much fun! It was great to
see so many smiling and connected
faces throughout the day. Many plants
were planted, pots and canvases painted,
swag was collected, and finally a
raffle was held for all the DSPs who
attended for a gas gift card! Congratulations
to DSP Michelle Hughes who
was the raffle winner.
Our CVA Program Management team
is thankful for the effort, flexibility,
and joy that our DSPs have shown
us continually. We hope that we were
able to shine a little bit of light on
them with this special event!
~Kira Appel
5

A Master Storyteller
conditioning unit of popsicle sticks
and drawer liner mesh keeps the
house cool, while the home’s internet
wiring climbs up the chimney.
Scattered among purchased furniture
are hand-crafted pieces made of
popsicle sticks and toothpicks. The
attention to detail, down to linens in
the hope chest, is astonishing.
the place he lives appears. Before
moving in with the Turners, he lived
in rentals not properly maintained.
“There’s lots of role playing (interacting
with the home and mannequins)
about growing up,” Pam remarks.
There’s a landlord from his early life
he often emulates, who didn’t care for
properties to Dennis’ standard. Taking
on that role with this miniature home
gives him the power to change the
narrative and act as he believes a good
landlord should. “He is able to work
through things in his past through this
storytelling,” Pam explains.
When Dennis invites you into
his world, you enter a place
where stories reign supreme. A
master storyteller, he weaves
tales through spoken word and
thousands of tiny physical details
that add up to show you
the richness he creates in the
space he claims as his own.
Dennis also employs his skill
caring for physical spaces in
his job helping maintain the
Madison Heights office. His
caring nature finds another outlet
delivering Meals on Wheels
in his community. Everywhere
he goes, those twinkling eyes
“Watch out! She’s gonna get you,” he
exclaims, nodding over his shoulder
to the far corner of the room where
a nurse mannequin stands sentinel,
empty (needleless) syringe and tubing
dangling from her hand. “She gives
shots,” he illuminates. “You gotta
watch out for her.” His eyes twinkle
as he turns from her to the centerpiece
of the room, the astoundingly detailed
miniature house he has built.
Dennis gestures at the house proudly,
bending to show off each room in the
“beach house.” A peek inside reveals
hand laid floors crafted from popsicle
sticks sanded down to make perfect
planks. Tongue depressors cut into
rectangles and laid in a pattern form a
contrasting floor in the kitchen. An air
Dennis explains the beach home
is a rental. As landlord, he has had
some very troublesome minature
tenants. Some caused rodent infestations
he bravely cleaned out one
by one. Worst was tenants who
caused a fire. “Smoke damage on
the ceiling… had to sheetrock…
put in new paneling… paint,”
Dennis remembers. “Whole lot
to fix it… Whew!” Every time a
tenant damages the home, Dennis
jumps into action and fixes it.
Maintaining the home beautifully
is very important to him.
Provider Pam Turner, who has
known Dennis since she was 13,
notes he has the most exceptional
fine motor skills of anyone she
has ever met. She says using those
skills caring for the dollhouse and the
rest of his surroundings gives Dennis
a needed sense of control over how
and bright smile go with him, promising
a tale worth hearing to all who
take time to listen.
~Angie Covington
6

HONOR ROLL
2022 Wall Residences Milestone Anniversaries
We could not do the work we do without the stellar efforts of individual
people. It gives us great pleasure to recognize providers and staff
members celebrating milestone anniversaries with Wall Residences
in 2022. Thank you for your dedication and for the difference
you have made and continue to make!
Valerie Braxton
Dawn Buchanan
Traci Burch
Tom Dunn
Michelle & Kent Gebetsberger
Brandelin Gibson
Jessica Hazelett
Cindy Herron
Rodney Lockhart
Debby & Jacob Beamer
Pamela Brooks
LaDonna Byrd
Karen & Matt Doyle
Tory Fitzgerald
Bonnie & Larry Golliday
Pamela & John Gough
Brieann & Jason Hale
Patsy Horton
Gayle Irby
Kay Adrian & Derf Vondy
Tammie Atwell
Marlene & Daryl Beckner
Tammie & Carrie Bryant
Linda Burks
Yolanda Chandler
Nancy & Keith Grubb
Bill & Nelda Hagerman
Lonnie & Victoria Hitchcock
Evelyn Distelhurst
Rhonda & Bruce Norconk
Karen & Larry Sprouse
PROVIDERS
Five Years
Ten Years
Fifteen Years
Twenty Years
Twenty-Five Years
Kimberly Mays
Ondrake & Chasity Nero
Larry & Pamela Ojibway
Brad Parnell & Sarah Chrosniak
Grace Rock
Rosita Usuah & Howard Dickerson
Brenda Wharton
Victoria Woody
Robin & Steve Lambert
Alice Parker
Erin Quinn
Linda Roach
Jeffrey & Patty Shawver
Cindy & Tony Taylor
Doug & Angela Taylor
Casey Thompson
Angela & Keith Tolbert
Kathy Wilkins
Annabelle Horton
Cora Martin
Jane & Walter McDaniel
Shellie & Wayne Moubray
Erica Myers
Grady & Wendy Preston
Michael Vercellino
Susan Waggy
Pamela White
Kevin & Nikki Hieatt
Hollis Yeatts
STAFF
Five Years
Kristen Adams
Cecily Almond
Gennile Barber
Ashley Brown
Tahara Bryant
Kevyn Burn
Katelyn Campbell
Stephanie Carr
Jennifer Cockerham
Robin Conner
Bobby Dalton
Caitlin Davis
Emily Doyle
Bobby Harris
Gwendolyn Howell
Michele Humphries
Molly Hunter-Sloan
Megan Ingram
Jennifer Jarrells
Millicent Jones
Erin Justis
Lana Landreth
Christina Leckie-Smith
Cassandra Light
Jessica Marshall
Kathryn Moats
Laura Beth Parnell
Nicolle Payne
Lisa Revely
Heather Reynolds
Heather Risener
Spring Rucker
Randall Sossamon
Archie Utt
Marshall Wallace
Amy Walters
Dorothy Watts
Nieka Whitt
Melissa Worrell
Ten Years
Bayley Alphin
Triona Bason
Lisa McDaniel
Angela Newman
Deanna Rennon
7

WOW Non-Profit Hosts Craft Fair
WOW (Wall Opportunities & Wishes)
Non-Profit hosted a craft fair at the Madison
Heights office. Individuals sold hand crafted
creations ranging from custom birdhouses to
crochet to wreaths. Happy customers found
carefully made unique goods and happy
salespeople made a nice profit. It was a
win win situation! Learn more about WOW at
www.wallopportunitiesandwishes.com or by
emailing wownonprofit@gmail.com.
Chris (left) and Amanda (above center) celebrate their first sales of the day.
Digital
Bonus
It’s been a busy few months of doing
life together! Enjoy this digital bonus
slideshow of photos shared on our
social media channels in recent
months.
We invite you to follow us on
Facebook and/or Instagram for
frequent updates about the valued
lives and meaningful living happening
every day at Wall Residences!