Description
Good Neighbor Village was the dream of several families who had children with mental retardation. These families realized that, at some point in the future, they would no longer be able to care for all of the special needs of their child. Acting proactively, these families developed a plan to provide a residential setting with appropriate support programs. The need for part-time (respite) residential services was also identified. To fill this need, Good Neighbor Village was designed to meet the needs of someone wishing to become a full-time resident, or, an individual who simply wanted to visit for the weekend, a week, or longer. Good Neighbor Village was incorporated as a tax-exempt organization under section 501 (c) 3 of the Internal Revenue Code in January 1987, and it is licensed by the Department of Social Services of the Commonwealth of Virginia. Initially, a capital campaign was initiated to raise funds for the purchase of land. Then, the design of a village which might eventually accommodate up to 60 individuals with cognitive disabilities was developed. Ultimately, the vision began to take form. Good Neighbor Village has as its vision: "The vision of Good Neighbor Village, Inc., a non-profit 501(c)(3) corporation, is to provide a permanent, self-sustaining, supervised Village for up to 60 adults with mild and moderate retardation. The Village will seek to be recognized as 'A special place for special people...