2019

SeniorS’ Chat

Hello Happy Hands Members and Friends,

At the Deaf Seniors America (DSA) conference, I lost count of how many of us Happy

Hands members were at the conference. There were even more people from Virginia. At

the September luncheon, some of us shared our experiences about tours, workshops, and

events at the DSA conference. The next conference will be held in Pittsburgh, PA during

August 28 - September 2, 2021 [https://www.dsa2021pittsburgh.org].

Do you know where your grandparents were born? If not, come and hear Janet Bailey's Genealogy

Presentation after lunch on October 2nd (see page 2).

It won’t be too early to say Boo on Halloween! Please bring ASL sign for “Boo!” to the Happy Hands

Luncheon on October 2nd. If you don't know, you may skip the lunch! Boo Hoo! No! No! It is supposed to

be just Boo! See you on October 2nd.

Stay Happy with Our Awesome Hands!

~ Don

Don’s Column

HAPPY BIRTHDAY...to the folks

with birthdays in October

Bruce Franks [3rd]

Ross Gilson [3rd]

Donna Graff-Viall [5th]

Chuck Kelley [13th]

Norma Thompson [14th]

Claudia Brawley [23rd]

Kea Manfredonio [25th]

PAGE 2

Luncheon Menu:

Bratwursts & Kosher Hotdogs — Peggy & Paul Daniels

Chicken Roast (2) — Serry Fahmy and Jean Poole

Hotdog Rolls (2 pkg) — Cindy Pettie

Hoagie Buns (2 pkg) — Don Ames

Sauerkraut (2) — George Herberger

Potato Salad (2) — Lanny Quarles and Kathy Jones

Macaroni & Cheese — Serry Fahmy

Baked Beans — Eileen Goran

Fruit Salad — Cheryl Rockburn

Pasta Salad — Ann Marie Swiatkowski

For more information re: the menu, please contact Paul Daniels at p7daniels@gmail.com or Peggy Daniels at

p8daniels@yahoo.com.

After lunch, we will have a presentation by Janet Bailey on “Genealogy — Is It For You?” See below for

more information. If you have questions about the meeting, contact Don Ames at dames@cox.net.

Come join us to find out about:

Genealogy — What is it, and how has it changed

Tracing your family tree — first steps

Organizing your information

Computer databases or Online trees

Analyzing evidence found

Share your stories

Resources: Genealogy Websites & Educational Help

Janet will include stories, suggestions, and warnings. She welcomes questions during her presentation. An

early recruit to genealogy, Janet has been researching, writing, and hosting reunions for more than thirty-

five years. She currently serves on the board of the National Genealogical Society (NGS), is past president

of the Fairfax Genealogical Society (FxGS). Janet attends local, regional and national conferences and has

attended each of the week long institutes (SLIG, IGHR, GRIP, and Gen-Fed).

October 2, 2019

“Genealogy — Is It For You?”

Chips — ??

Catsup and Mustard — ??

Chopped Onions — ??

Brownies — Melanie Williams

Brownies without walnuts — Nancye Torbett

Brownies with walnuts — Nancye Torbett

Cookies — Regina Sleeper and Elizabeth Noriega

Tea (Sweet and Unsweetened) — Phuong Duong

Apple Cider (2 gal) — Jill Moebus

Happy Hands Luncheon October 2, 2019 at 10:00 AM

PAGE 3

Sitting: Kea Manfredonio, Don Ames,

Lois Herberger, and Eileen Goran

Standing: Jean Buffardi, Serry Fahmy,

George Herberger, Elizabeth Noriega,

Lanny Quarles, and Al Manfredonio

Kathy Jones and

Kea Manfredonio

Photos from Happy Hands Luncheon on September 18, 2019

Sitting: Cheryl Rockburn, Ann Marie

Swiatkowski, Peggy Daniels, and Jean Poole

Standing: Rocky Rockburn, Pat Beech, Paul

Daniels, Ross Gilson, Jill Moebus, Melanie &

Steve Williams, and Selina Gilson

Gary Viall and

Regina Sleeper

Ann Marie Swiatkowski

[Meals Coordinator]

Steve & Melanie Williams

[Lunch Coordinators of the Month] Raffle 50/50 Winners

Gary Viall (1st Place)

and George Herberger (2nd Place)

Celebration of Life September 22, 2019

PAGE 4

Thanks to:

Patricia Beech for planning the program, providing pictures, and doing the

program handouts

Bruce Greenfield for putting together the slideshow, and for setting up

Debbie Jones for being the MC for the Celebration program, voice interpreting,

and helping to print copies of the program, tributes, and obit

Karen Fletcher for bringing mementos for the Memorial Table, and bringing

Pretzel Jell-O

Don Ames for scripture reading and prayers

Eileen McCartin, Gary Viall, Lois Herberger, Eve Christian, and Donald

Fletcher for sharing tributes

Faye Melancon, Jenny Seaton, and Carrie Sowdon for Video messages

Bill Center, Nate Drown, Brenda Mitchiner, and Frank Turk for written tributes

Jan Nishimura for voice interpreting, and interpreting Donald Fletcher’s speech

Don Ames, Eve Christian, Laurie Dowling, Lois Herberger, Kea Manfredonio,

Jill Moebus, Nancy Rarus, Cheryl Rockburn, Ann Marie Swiatkowski, Brenda

Talley, Melanie Williams, and Jennifer Witteborg for bringing food

Everyone who helped with cleaning up and putting away chairs.

Celebration of Life September 22, 2019

(continued)

PAGE 5

Pictures from Deaf Seniors of America Conference during September 2-8, 2019

DSA Board for 2019-2021

President — Alfred Sonnenstrahl

Vice President — Phil Aiello

Secretary — Ellen Scheppach

Treasurer — Mike Lockhart

Board Member (4-yr) — Renwick Dayton

Board Member (4-yr) — Lance J. Fischer

Board Member (2-yr) — Raymond Kilthau

Board Member (2-yr) — Elaine Navritil

Past President — Nancy Rarus

Source: https://deafseniors.us/about/

PAGE 6

Happy Hands Members at DSA

Sitting: Jill Moebus, Selina Gilson, Kay Kelley,

Eileen Goran, Kathy Jones, and Nancy Rarus

Standing: Nancy Cowles, Ross Gilson, Don Ames,

Marty & Janet Blakely, Chuck Kelley,

Peggy & Paul Daniels, and Tom & Laurie Daniels

Virginians at DSA

Sitting: Jill Moebus, Selina Gilson, Kay Kelley, Eileen Goran,

Kathy Jones, and Cheryl Gault

Standing: Ross Gilson, Envie Bogan, Earl Wright, Don Ames,

Marty & Janet Blakely, Chuck Kelley, Peggy Daniels, Theresa Farmer,

Paul Daniels, Tom Dowling, Robert Gault, Laurie Dowling, and Nancy Rarus

Nancy Rarus received

Appreciation Award

for her six years as

DSA President.

PAGE 7

More Pictures from

Deaf Seniors of America and Seattle

Jill Moebus

with Cortez Kennedy,

former Seattle Seahawks

Defensive Tackle

Jill Moebus

at Chihuly Garden and Glass,

located next to the Space Needle

[https://www.chihulygardenandglass.com/]

Laurie & Tom Dowling

with Laurie’s sister, Jennifer Thomson

[view of the Pacific Ocean in the background]

Karen Philio-House

and Jim House

Debbie Wright,

Jean Parris, and

Earl Wright Bruce Franks

Janet & Marty Blakely Barry Harlan &

Vicki Shank

Nancy Rarus and Laurie Dowling

More Pictures from

Deaf Seniors of America and Seattle

Persian Ceiling

Chihuly Garden and Glass

Lit from above and resting on a

flat glass pane, the elements of the

Persian Ceiling came together to

provide an immersive experience

in color shape.

[Photo Credit: Nancy Rarus]

Mille Fiori

Chihuly Garden and Glass

Mille Fiori means “a thousand

flowers” in Italian.

[Photo Credit: Nancy Rarus]

Chandeliers

Chihuly Garden and Glass

One of the installations

inspired by “Chihuly Over

Venice.”

[Photo Credit: Nancy Rarus]

Ikebana and Float Boats

Chihuly Garden and Glass

The Ikebana Bat features long, flower-like glass stems inspired by the Japanese art of Ikebana.

Niijima Flats were inspired by the artist’s trip to the Japanese Island of Niijima.

[Photo Credit: Nancy Rarus]

PAGE 8

In Memory of

Mary Jane Jones 1938- 2019

Mary Jane Jones passed away

on September 10, 2019.

Sunshine

News

Howard Smith now lives at Heritage Village with his wife, Helen.

He would love to have visitors. The address is: 13650 Heathcote

Boulevard, Gainesville VA. The room number is 232. He can be

reached at 571-330-8023.

Janet & Marty Blakely has a new grandson, Sawyer Lee Edwards,

born on August 19, 2019.

Shelley Simms is currently at Sibley Rehab, recovering from knee replacement surgery. She is working on

adjustments to getting in and out of shower. Sibley Rehab provides needed equipment for her use at home.

She will visit her apartment to make sure all is in place and PT services are provided.

At Sibley Rehab, there are caretakers who give baths, meals. They also help with trips

to bathroom. She cannot get out of bed till a caretaker or nurse comes to help. That is

hospital policy. She thinks that is a good rule. She has gotten to know caretakers well.

An Occupational Therapist is working with her on ways to be safe at home. She will be

at Sibley Rehab for at least a few more days. Peggy Daniels agreed to be her caretaker

at home, while her friend, Betsy, goes to work. She will return to Happy Hands when

she feels confident that she can go places on her own.

PAGE 9

Dulles Town Center

on September 25

Steve Williams, Jill Moebus, Bev Young, Melanie

Williams, Elizabeth Noriega, Denise Proulx, Lanny

Quarles, Pat Beech, Nancy Rarus, and Robert Whitworth

NAD-DSA Task Force on Aging

PAGE 10

The goal of the Task Force on Aging is to learn about the demographics of Deaf Seniors and how they make

decisions as well as their living situations. Their goal is to include responses from as many deaf and hard of

hearing people ages 50 and up. Your participation is voluntary, and your responses will be kept private. If you

have questions, you can call the NAD Front Desk at 301-587-1788.

During the NAD-DSA task force meetings, they learned that many deaf people have:

Not prepared for their golden years

A hard time finding senior resources that fit their needs

Communication issues in health care and senior care

NAD-DA 2019 Survey

https://www.nad.org/nad-dsa-2019-survey/

Below is a list of checklists that the Task Force on Aging worked hard on. If you want the checklists, please

contact Nancy Rarus at nbrarus@gmail.com.

1. ALL ABOUT ME — This document helps you gather all of your important information and keep them

together in one place. Use this checklist to write down where your important documents are located.

2. RESIDENTIAL FACILITIES (Assisted Living, Memory Care, Nursing Home) - This document helps

ensure physical communication accessibility as you explore your housing options.

3. CAREGIVER QUALIFICATIONS— This document helps explore the caregiving field. Information can

be used to see if hiring a caregiver is an option for you. People can use this list to see if becoming a

caregiver is an option.

Thanks to:

All who helped with the set-up and clean-up at the September Luncheon

Melanie & Steve Williams for picking up subs from Potbelly

Those who brought goodies to the September Luncheon

Rocky Rockburn for helping Selina Gilson with Raffles Tickets at the

Money Table at the September Luncheon

Pat Beech taking pictures at the events in September

Pat Beech for doing the monthly HH Newsletter issue

Sharon Svenningsen for proofreading the monthly HH Newsletter issue

Debbie Jones for stuffing the monthly HH Newsletter hardcopies and getting them ready for mail

Happy Hands

Luncheon

Events for October 2019

Happy Hands

Fine Tuners

Don Ames, Chair

dames@cox.net

Jill Moebus, Vice Chair

jmoebus7@gmail.com

Pat Beech, Editor

pgbeech@aol.com

E-mail: info@nvrc.org

URL: www.nvrc.org

VP 571-350-8656

3951 Pender Drive

Suite 130

Fairfax, VA 22030

URL:

http://nvrc.org/resources

/happy-hands/

If Fairfax County Government is closed due to weather conditions, NVRC will be closed, too.

NVRC will have Flea Market on October 12. For more information, contact NVRC at info@nvrc.org.

For more information about Maryland Deaf Senior Citizens, Inc. (MDSC), contact Leslie Zinza at

detpep1948@gmail.com, or see: http://www.mddeafseniors.org/.

For more information about Frederick Deaf Seniors, contact Jackie Kanekuni at

Jackiekanekuni@gmail.com.

For more information about Northern Virginia Association of the Deaf (NVAD), contact Melanie

Williams at mywilliams@verizon.net.

For more information about the Cascades Coffee Chat group, contact Bev Young at bevpager@aol.com.

This group meets @ 10:00AM at Starbucks Marketplace, 210-21 Southbank Street, Sterling, VA 20165.

PAGE 11

Food Committee

Meals Coordinator:

Ann Marie Swiatkowski

Lunch Coordinator of the Month:

* October — Paul & Peggy Daniels

* November — Al & Kea Manfredonio

* December — Pat Beech & Nancy Rarus

* January — Jill Moebus

* February — ?

* March — Janet Blakely

* April — ?

* May — ?

* June — Picnic

HH Committee for 2019-2020

Chair — Don Ames

Vice Chair — Jill Moebus

Secretary — Cheryl Rockburn

Treasurer — Selina Gilson

Member At Large — Tom Dowling

Member At Large — Ross Gilson

Member At Large — Kea Manfredonio

Member At Large — Rocky Rockburn

Member At Large — Steve Williams

Ex Officio — Nancy Rarus

Sunshine Club — Lynn Keefe

Membership — Pat Beech

Newsletter Editor — Pat Beech

Memorial — Pat Beech and Peggy Daniels

Historian — Pat Beech

What to Know About Real IDs

PAGE 12

In Fall 2020, every U.S. air traveler will be required to present a Real ID-compliant license, or another

acceptable form of identification such as U.S. passport, to board a domestic flight. The last phase of

implementation of the Real ID Act goes into effect on October 1, 2020.

This law changed how states issue driver’s licenses and identification cards, requiring residents to present

more documents than were previously required to prove their identify and legal residency. This makes the

rules consistent nationwide.

If your license or ID card is marked with a star in the upper-right corner, it is compliant with the Real ID Act.

For information about getting a Real ID-compliant driver’s license or identification card in Virginia, see:

https://www.dmv.virginia.gov/drivers/#real_id.asp.

Most commonly used documents are:

Proof of Social Security Number

Primary Proof of Virginia Residency

Secondary Proof of Virginia Residency

Proof of Identification and Legal Presence (i.e., Official Birth Document, U.S. Passport)

Source: https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/trafficandcommuting/do-you-have-questions-about-real-id-

weve-got-answers/2019/06/15/94fc6030-8c5c-11e9-8f69-a2795fca3343_story.html