News & Events

Inspiring stories that showcase our growth and success and the community partnerships that make it possible.

Duvall Homes

Duvall Homes’ Residents Volunteer

July 27, 2015 – Duvall Homes’ residents volunteer throughout the year in a variety of ways that provide an opportunity to develop vocational skills while benefiting the community. Just weeks ago, a new partnership with Rise Against Hunger (formerly known as Stop Hunger Now, Orlando) was launched and we are a proud part of the program.

Not only are those who are in desperate need of food provided for, but the individuals served by Duvall Homes also benefit from a new sense of purpose, achievement and community responsibility. Packaging has been incorporated into the Day Training curriculum at Duvall Homes and participants are determined to continue with their mission to help others.

Giving back is an integral part of the Duvall Homes philosophy and this important project is just the latest in a long line of efforts our residents are engaged in to do their part. We are proud to recognize them and keep you updated with their accomplishments!

Rise Against Hunger gets food and life-saving aid to the world’s most vulnerable people, and works to end global hunger. Volunteers set up and take down packaging stations and equipment, fill bins with raw ingredients, scoop ingredients into meal bags, weigh and seal the bags, box and stack them on pallets, and load the pallets and equipment onto a truck. The meals are shipped throughout the world to support school feeding programs, orphanages, and crisis relief.  This vital project benefits the residents of Duvall Homes by providing dexterity / hand-eye coordination exercise; hands-on experience in cooperation and team-building; problem-solving and goal-setting; while creating a platform for success.

To date, our residents have packaged 15 boxes (3,240 meals)! Each meal feeds 6 people…so in just one month efforts have provided help to feed 19,440 people!

Each meal costs .29 cents and Duvall Homes spends approximately $150-$200 each month for ingredients to sustain the program. Help us continue to make a lasting, global impact with your donation today!

Stop Hunger Now

Duvall Partners with Stop Hunger Now Orlando

June 25, 2015 Just weeks ago, Duvall Homes launched a new partnership with Rise Against Hunger (formerly Stop Hunger Now Orlando) and after a speedy start-up, residents have already packaged 2,000 meals!  Not only are those in desperate need of food provided for, but at the same time, the developmentally disabled served by Duvall Homes benefit from a new sense of purpose, achievement and community outreach. Packaging has been incorporated into the Day Training curriculum at Duvall Homes and participants are excited to continue with their mission to help others. Giving back is an integral part of the Duvall Homes philosophy and this important project is just the latest in a long line of efforts our residents are making to do their part! We are proud to recognize them and keep you updated with their accomplishments!
Robert Walsh, Duvall Homes

Duvall Homes New Board, New Name

March 30, 2015 Duvall Homes is pleased to announce the results of its 2015 election for the Board of Regents.

Robert Walsh, newly elected board chair said, “This is a pivotal time in the history of Duvall Homes. As the organization celebrates its seventieth year of empowering individuals with developmental disabilities, I am humbled to assume this leadership role.”

Mr. Walsh has thirty years of progressive advancement in both the public and private sectors. His expertise includes business development, profit and loss management, project/program management, finance and budgeting and conflict resolution. In his current position as Operations Director for the County of Volusia, he is responsible for the daily operations of the Growth & Resource Management Department. Mr. Walsh has served on the Duvall Homes Board of Regents since 2012.

Duvall Homes also welcomes newest board members, Sabrina Hightower Patterson, realtor with Kemp Realty Group, Michael Rinaldi, assistant vice president, financial manager, Gateway Bank and Lisa Ogram, associate resident director at Merrill Lynch.

Duvall Homes, previously Duvall Home, is nearing completion of a monumental project to relocate residents from its Glenwood campus to community group homes. “Although the change in our name is small,” said Steven DeVane, Duvall Homes’ chief executive officer, “we think it better reflects our expanding footprint and the path of growth we are proudly committed to.”

“We are privileged to work alongside this dynamic Board,” said DeVane, “their exceptional leadership skills coupled with passion and commitment to our mission will clearly influence our move into the next seventy years.”

For more information, contact: Elizabeth Bhimjee, Director of Development
386-734-2874 Ext. 102, ebhimjee@duvallhome.org

Duvall Homes

Duvall Homes “Next 70” Fundraiser

March 10, 2015 The Next 70: A Celebration to Commemorate 70 Years of Service to People with Developmental Disabilities and to the Community.

September 25, 2015 | Wayne G. Sanborn Activity & Event Center | 815 South Alabama Avenue | DeLand, FL | 32720

6:00pm Registration and Reception | 7:00pm Dinner Program

Download “The Next 70” Cover Letter Here

Download “The Next 70” Sponsorship and Ticket Information Here

Dear Friends,
Duvall Homes has been caring for people with developmental disabilities since 1945. For seventy years we have been nurturing independence and self-determination, offering a comprehensive range of services to help this fragile population achieve the fullest life possible. We work each and every day to enrich lives, to advocate for the under-served and to create awareness about those with special needs. As a landmark fixture in Central Florida for decades, we are proud to announce our 70th Anniversary to our community neighbors and business partners, and to the parents and guardians of our residents.

“The Next 70” will be an inspiring evening as we look back over the past seventy years, look forward with exciting announcements about our future, and pay special tribute to Daryl Tol, President/CEO of Florida Hospital Volusia/Flagler, with the “Alanson and Thelma Duvall Memorial Award for Outstanding Community Service”. We hope you will join in recognizing his contribution to Duvall Homes and to the community by helping us celebrate!

Whether you contribute through a table sponsorship or purchase an individual ticket, your support will enrich the lives of more than 100 developmentally disabled people living at Duvall Homes, along with 15-20 disabled community members who attend our Opportunities Training Program five days a week throughout the year. ALL participation is welcome, as generosity and involvement like yours helps strengthen our programs and services and allows us to meet the ever-changing, often critical needs of those in our care.

“The Next 70” offers an opportunity to improve the lives of others, while building your brand and exercising your CSR at the same time! Enjoy great food and fellowship, a network and information share, and lend your support to those most fragile in our community.

On behalf of Duvall Homes we extend our deepest thanks for your consideration. Your decision to get involved can make all the difference!

Sincerely,

Robert Walsh
Chairman, Board of Regents

Steven DeVane
Chief Executive Officer

Duvall Homes Hand Art

Duvall Sponsors DeLand Chamber After Hours

On February 19, 2015, DeLand Area Chamber of Commerce members and guests enjoyed a special evening of networking and art appreciation, while supporting the developmentally disabled at Stetson University’s Homer & Dolly Hand Art Center.

This collaborative exhibition showcased artistic accomplishments of world renowned figures, alongside lesser-known artists living in our community. Through the generosity of Stetson and the Hand Art Center, Duvall Home presented for the first works of art completed by disabled artists as part of its Art for Everyone program.

View photos from the evening on Duvall Home’s Facebook page by clicking here.

Enjoy this short Art For Everyone video for a glimpse of Duvall resident artists.

This evening’s program would not be possible without the generosity of our friends and supporters. Many thanks to the following sponsors:

Florida Hospital DeLand
Kemp Realty Group – Total Realty
Gateway Bank
Fairwinds Credit Union
Allstate – Randy Mueller & Associates

State Representative and City Commissioners Speak on Behalf of Duvall Home

November 10, 2015

State Representative and City Commissioners Speak on Behalf of Duvall Home

Suzanne Sewell, President and CEO of the Florida Association of Rehabilitation Facilities (FARF), served as keynote speaker at Duvall Home’s Networking & News Event, held October 30th at the Ssuzanneanborn Activity & Event Center in DeLand. Her forty years of experience and insight was shared with an audience of local business leadership, civic organizations and the friends and families of Duvall Home residents.

FARF is a statewide, professional industry association that provides advocacy, information, and networking for individuals with disabilities, and the community agencies that serve them. As the Association’s chief spokesperson, Sewell acts as public policy change agent and serves as liaison with executive and legislative branches. She directs the annual legislative campaign to advocate for the needs of more than 100 members agencies like Duvall Home.

Duvall is engaged in a historic transition to reposition residents from McGaffin Hall, a congregate dormitory building on its main campus, to family-style group homes in the community and Sewell was on hand to add depth and clarity to a discussion focused on issues surrounding the move.

Sewell was joined by Commissioners Leigh Matusick, DeLand and Nancy Schleicher, Deltona, who offered city support as Duvall Home moves through steps to accommodate new federal guidelines – to fully integrate disabled individuals into the mainstream community. Echoing the sentiments of Barbara Palmer (Florida’s Director of the Agency for Persons with Disabilities) during her recent visit to Duvall Home, Sewell commended the organization for “doing a very good job.” The nationwide mandate is one Duvall is actively embracing.
“We are proud of our collaboration with FARF and APD,” said Steven DeVane, Duvall Home’s CEO, “and their validation inspires our continued move in this direction. Further, he said “we are committed to maintaining an organization characterized by acceptance and welcome for all, where each disabled individual is seen as unique, entitled to personal growth and development and self-determination. We are facing change head-on to remain true to our commitment.”

Additional to the information presented by guest speakers, a high-point of the morning was the presentation of awards to ten Duvall Home residents. Trophies were given for outstanding achievement in a variety of categories.

About Duvall Home:
Duvall Home is a 501(c)3 organization, dedicated to enhancing the lives of the developmentally disabled residents in its care, as well as those from the greater community that attend its Adult Day Training Program. Located at 3395 Grand Avenue, Glenwood, FL 32722, more information can be found at https://www.duvallhome.org.

Photo Attached:
Suzanne Sewell, President and CEO of the Florida Association of Rehabilitation Facilities (FARF)

Click here to view a full video of Sewell’s presentation.

Contact:
Elizabeth Bhimjee, Director of Development
386-734-2874 Ext. 102, ebhimjee@duvallhome.org

Duvall Home Group Home

Duvall Home Residents Transition to Group Homes

November 2, 2014

Using his hands and eyes, Ronnie Rosenberg has a lot to say.

As a toddler, he was diagnosed with cerebral palsy and now, at 32, he remains nonverbal. Yet, he’s as expressive as anyone when looking ahead to birthdays and holidays at his new group home, or getting on stage to accept an award, as he did Thursday morning.

Moving from an institution in South Florida to a cottage near DeLand run by the Duvall Home has made a big difference, says his cousin and guardian, BethAnn Filingeri.

“He’s much happier,” she said. “He’s gained weight. He looks healthier. … He’s an extrovert now.”

For decades, doctors recommended families of people with cerebral palsy, autism and other disorders send their children to large institutions like Duvall Home’s Glenwood campus. But research, policy and the courts have changed that.

The government more readily funds smaller group homes intertwined in communities, promoting more interaction and normalcy in the lives of people like Rosenberg.

So the Duvall Home — started by the parents of a child with Down syndrome in 1945 — is making the shift from aging dormitories to smaller residential settings. It stands as a symbol for a system for caring for people with disabilities that has evolved in recent decades.

It outgrew its first location in Satsuma, a tiny berg in Putnam County, and moved into a 30-room, rundown hotel in rural Glenwood in 1952. Ultimately, the institution would house 250 people in two dormlike buildings, plus a workshop, chapel and swimming pool. But those structures are deteriorating, as the model for modern-day care — the group home — has been fully embraced by Duvall’s board.

Within the next year, the last of the 40 or so residents of McGaffin Hall, the last residential location on Duvall’s Glenwood campus, will be moved to group homes elsewhere in West Volusia.

Some of those residents have lived in McGaffin for decades.

Continue reading, “Duvall Home residents make transition to group homes”

One Resident’s Road to Recovery, Independence

November 1, 2014

DELAND — Kristin Burrhus is 49 but only a few years removed from living with her parents.

Her journey, though, has been nothing short of miraculous.

“I’m independent. I do things on my own. I do my own chores,” she said during a recent interview at her new home, Duvall Home’s Gatlin Cottage north of DeLand.

Born with Down syndrome in an era when doctors frequently recommended institutionalization, she grew up with her family in Massachusetts, and functioned well enough to work at several places, including Walgreen’s and Burger King. Her family moved to Florida, and she took painting classes at the Gateway Center for the Arts in DeBary, producing work with enough depth to gain attention and even a few sales.

But then she fell ill several years ago, suffering two strokes, many seizures and was near enough to death that hospice was caring for her.

Steven DeVane was working as a hospice chaplain when he met Burrhus and said he sensed her “vibrant spirit.”

Burrhus’ family looked at options for her care and decided to have her moved to the Duvall Home cottage.

She remained in a wheelchair.

“It took a long time, several years, to get well. After that, I couldn’t walk at all. I didn’t have the strength in me,” she said.

But little by little, she made progress, and her two therapists taught her how to walk again. She graduated to a walker and now uses only a cane to help her get around.

She was even, for a time, well enough to return to work at one of Duvall Home’s thrift stores.

She found her move a big change.

“At first, I was kind of shy. I had never felt that way before,” she said. “But I got over it.”

She handles chores, include making breakfast, assisting the cottage’s “house mothers” with meals and keeping her room clean. Valerie Dawson, a Duvall staff member, says Burrhus helps with some of the administrative tasks.

“I would look at her as a leader,” Dawson said. “She’s a helper, a go-getter.”

She attends Duvall’s day-training program most days. That’s where DeVane, who had recently been installed as Duvall’s CEO, met Burrhus once again.

“Our eyes met and we said in unison: ‘Do you remember me?’” DeVane said in a video Duvall Home made about her. “Miracles happen and in this case, Duvall Home is part of the miracle.”

Read “One resident’s road to recovery, independence” featured by the Daytona Beach News Journal!

Florida ARF

Duvall Receives “Community Agency Spotlight” by FARF

September 1, 2014 Duvall Home receives “Community Agency Spotlight” by the Association of Rehabilitation Facilities. (Issues Forum Breaking News: Vol. 12, Iss. 9)Duvall Home recently began working on a transformation of their program to make their residential program a more community-based model.  They have begun their move to gradually transition about sixty residents, currently living on the Glenwood campus, into eight community group homes in and around DeLand. The homes will continue to be operated by Duvall, alongside the ten group homes already established in the community.  The living accommodations provide a home environment modeled after a typical family-style residence.  “This is a time to look to the future”, said CEO Steve DeVane “and to ready Duvall Home to meet the ever-changing requirements, not only of our special-needs population, but also of the state and government agencies that govern us.  As time moves on, our greatest legacy will be to insure Duvall’s strength long into the future – at the very least, another 70 years.”

Duvall Home has been empowering individuals with intellectual/developmental disabilities since 1945.  Their mission to provide the highest quality of life and greatest level of independence for each resident is achieved through individualized care plans that include educational opportunities and life skills training.  Duvall Home provides 24-hour around-the-clock nursing oversight, as well as daily transportation to the Adult Day Training Center and a wide variety of community outings.

 

2013-14 Annual Report

2013 – 2014 News and Annual Report

Read the latest news happening at Duvall Home and in the greater community that supports us. Inside this “Milestone Year” issue, you’ll also find stories on:
– Operational improvements, achievements and success
– Expanding support for Duvall Home
– Resident Spotlights: The Real Super Stars
and more!

Download the 2013 – 2014 News and Annual Report by clicking here.

Other Newsletters of Duvall Homes

Other News

Florida Agency for Persons with Disabilities Visits

July 27, 2014 Last Monday, The Duvall Home was honored to host Barbara Palmer, Florida’s director of the Agency for Persons with Disabilities.  Also with Ms. Palmer were Ed Debardeleben APD Chief of Quality Assurance and Clinical Supports and Denise Arnold APD Deputy Director of Programs as well as Leslie Richards APD Northeast Region Manager.  The group reached out to us last week to ask if they could come for a visit after hearing about our transition.  The senior staff was able to spend over two hours with this esteemed group showing them foundations of our history and the plans for the future.

 

Duvall Homes

DaVita Labs Digs for Duvall Home

June 30, 2014 Last week, nearly 80 volunteers from both DeLand and Ft. Lauderdale offices of DaVita Labs, stepped up to volunteer at five group homes operated by Duvall Home, in Glenwood.

DaVita, the diagnostic laboratory servicing both dialysis organizations and physician practices, worked in close collaboration with Duvall Home staff to organize the day’s event. Volunteers helped by clearing brush, planting flower beds and shrubs and adding mulch as the final touch in a major landscape beautification project that included 900 plants and extended over several acres.

“DaVita Labs is deeply committed to engaging in and having a lasting impact on the DeLand community, because this is not just where we work, it’s also where we live,” said Jason Cline at DaVita Labs. “We deeply respect and admire the work of Duvall Home and are proud to be able to lend a helping hand in support of their efforts.”

Licensed by the Agency for Persons with Disabilities, Duvall Home is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization that provides quality residential care and day training programs for adults with developmental disabilities, such as down syndrome, autism and cerebral palsy. Serving more than 130 individuals, Duvall Home has been a landmark fixture in the DeLand community for decades and will celebrate its 70th Anniversary in 2015.

“We rely on the support of community neighbors to help raise our visibility and champion our mission,” said chief executive officer, Steven DeVane, adding “our friends at DaVita Labs have helped us achieve what we could not have accomplished on our own and we are forever grateful for their leadership, service and tremendous generosity.”

Not only did DaVita offer a day of service, they also donated $3,000 toward the cost of the materials needed to enhance the group home properties.

About DaVita Labs SM
DaVita Labs SM provides quality, on-time, accurate results to help effectively identify and manage kidney patients across the nation. As a cutting-edge chronic kidney disease (CKD) specialty laboratory, DaVita Labs SM features the latest in end stage renal disease-specific methodology and technology for delivering quality dialysis test results. DaVita Labs SM is fully accredited by the federal and state governmental agencies and the College of American Pathologists. For more information, please visit DaVita Labs or call 877.200.3181.

Community Care Celebration

A Celebration of Care & Community

May 1, 2014 Duvall Home recently drew an audience of nearly 100 guests together to convey a two-fold message. Gratitude and appreciation was at the forefront, as donors from various groups enjoyed a day set aside especially for them. Parents and guardians of Duvall Home residents, church ambassadors from several counties, business leadership and local sponsors were among those being honored at an event that took place on the organization’s fifteen-acre Glenwood campus.

Duvall Home residents presented chief executive officer, Tim Cook, who accepted on behalf Florida Hospital DeLand, with an award for Outstanding Community Partner. ABC Supply Company, Inc. was honored as Outstanding Corporate Partner and Kay Laws, a member of First Presbyterian Church DeLand, received the award for Outstanding Volunteer.

Kate Pearce, chair of Duvall Home’s Board of Regents said, “Duvall Home has a rich history of serving individuals with developmental disabilities and we are proud to celebrate the dedication and generosity of those who support our mission and make our work possible”.

Duvall Home has been a landmark fixture in the DeLand community for decades, and will celebrate its 70th Anniversary in 2015. “Nestled in our sleepy, little Glenwood neighborhood, we have done a great job of operating under the radar for years”, said chief executive officer, Steven DeVane, adding “that’s about to change”.

The secondary message of the day – Duvall’s transformation – centered on a new chapter in the organization’s history. Duvall Home will soon begin its move to gradually transition about sixty residents, currently living on the Glenwood campus, into eight community group homes in and around DeLand. These will continue to be operated by Duvall, alongside the ten group homes already established in the community. The living accommodations provide a home environment modeled after a typical family-style residence.

“This is a time to look to the future”, said DeVane “and to ready Duvall Home to meet the ever-changing requirements, not only of our special-needs population, but also of the state and government agencies that govern us. As time moves on, our greatest legacy will be to insure Duvall’s strength long into the future – at the very least, another 70 years”.

About Duvall Home:

The Duvall Home is a 501(c)3 organization, dedicated to enhancing the lives of developmentally disabled residents in its care. Located at 3395 Grand Avenue, Glenwood, FL 32722, more information can be found at https://www.duvallhomes.org.

Contact: Elizabeth Bhimjee, Director of Development, 386-734-2874 Ext. 102, ebhimjee@duvallhome.org