Just like this month, Vanguard Landing is “marching” forward in a big way! The journey to bring this planned community from a vision to a reality has been so moving, humbling, exciting, exhausting and awe-inspiring just to name a few of the emotions experienced by those leading the effort, those supporting in many ways, and those waiting for a place to call their own! It is an absolute thrill for us to be bringing to Virginia and the East Coast an amazing type of living, working and recreating for our friends and family members who with their other gifts and talents also happen to have an Intellectual Disability which means simply they need a little more support to enjoy a full life that many take for granted!

We are proud to bring a community like some of our sister communities around the country who are thriving and successful like Marbridge, Baddour and Lambs Farm to Virginia to compliment the other choices for individuals with intellectual disabilities and help in a large way to begin to alleviate the severe shortage of employment and residential opportunities that are so needed. We are honored to join other groups like Promise in Brevard, St. Andrews Village and Brightstone who are all working just like we are to do similar communities! We are just like these other groups who started with parents and caring community leaders, business owners, citizens, and governments to work diligently to change the fact that there are not enough options for persons with intellectual disabilities to live a full life, be a part of the community and have meaningful employment while being safe. Most of our family members with ID CANNOT live alone in an apartment with intermittent support and a cell phone. The residents and day participants at Vanguard Landing will have a choice of living arrangements, places to work on and off campus and a multitude of social, recreational, and fitness opportunities! We cannot simply throw our hands up and continue to beg the government funded by taxpayers to provide everything which they cannot. We must be a help to their efforts!

We are indeed blessed to have garnered a 75 acre parcel of land steps away from the largest shopping complex in Virginia Beach at Redmill while being surrounded by other families in adjacent communities and farms! The best of both worlds! Our waiting list is growing every single day and in a couple of weeks, the initial Admissions Packets will be mailed to everyone on the current waiting list. Two months after that, the Admissions Packets will be on our website!!! Vanguard Landing will be a fully self-sustaining community with a multitude of funding streams and it’s going to be something of which most of you have never seen! I have traveled to others and visited and three of us will be attending a Conference at Marbridge in April to learn and network with the others from similar communities!

Get ready to be amazed!!!!!