Stories & Legneds of New Danviller

Six months ago, I wrote about how I reflected on the importance of a home while my wife and I considered downsizing.  I pondered whether I could leave behind the doorframe with the markings showing my boys’ height changes as they grew through the years.  I’m now writing this latest offering while sitting in my new, smaller and quieter home.  Before moving from the home where my family grew up, I painted over that door frame (after briefly contemplating removing the frame and taking it to our new house).  The brushstrokes were, quite honestly, painful. 

I have spent a lot of time thinking about the concept of a “home” and its importance in our lives.  Every day at work, I’m reminded.  Just outside the conference room used to host visitors to campus, there is a place just over an exterior light where barn sparrows nest and lay eggs every year.  They are a nuisance.  They leave quite a mess and are very protective or their territory as many of our conference rooms guests have seen.  This year, we were determined to prevent them from nesting there again.  

We did all the right Google searches, watched some YouTube videos and embarked on “Operation Sparrow Keep Away” by first stuffing the entire area around the light with aluminum foil (which the determined mother bird promptly removed) and then installed plastic spikes (which the determined mother bird used as a foundation for her new nest).  Admiring her resilience and ingenuity, we yielded to her efforts and welcomed her return to New Danville while begrudgingly cleaning up the daily mess left behind. 

That bird, just like me hesitating before painting that door frame, desired not only a home, but the home where her memories resided.  A study was recently completed of Montgomery County residents with intellectual and developmental disabilities.  Sixty-five percent of our neighbors with IDD said they feared being homeless.  Given the financial hardships that so many families face, this was not a surprise—especially given that a recent study found 39% of the homeless population has a cognitive impairment.  None of this vulnerable population should have these worries.  Every day, New Danville is working to ensure a home for those in need. 

I am so pleased to report that the infrastructure work for New Danville’s residential expansion project is complete, and construction of Phase One of our residential expansion will begin in June.  Soon, we will affordably house almost three times more people on our campus.  I am thrilled to also say that the community has rallied behind this project far beyond our expectations making the dream of Vision 2025 a reality for our neighbors.

A home is so much more than a building, a door frame or a nest above a light.  It’s a foundation for life’s experiences.  For our Wranglers, it’s a safe place to continue to live, learn, work and grow while surrounded by peers, opportunities and support.  I hope that your own homes are filled with the same love and joy that our Wranglers’ homes are filled with.  And, I hope that you will continue to support our mission in making sure that none of those in need are without homes.  

Thanks to you, our 2025 Spring Thing Luncheon was a joyful celebration of 20 incredible years of New Danville — two decades of dignity, opportunity, and community.

We are deeply grateful for your support. Because of your generosity, we didn’t just meet our fundraising goal — we surpassed it! And even after the luncheon ended, gifts continued to pour in, doubling the amount pledged during the event.

Thank you for believing in our mission and helping us build a future where adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities continue to thrive in a vibrant, purpose-filled community.

Here’s to the next 20 years of joy!