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Empty Nest Magazine
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Real People Empty Nesting: On the Run with Jill Landsman by Liz Milner
A Nest Half Full
Jill is a recent empty nester. Her son Shawn, 22, is following in his father's footsteps by pursuing a career in criminal justice. Shawn recently earned the nickname "the Boomerang Prince" when, A resident of Fairfax County since 1993, Jill has worked in the housing industry as Communications & Media Relations Director of the Northern Virginia Association of Realtors® (NVAR); this position has made her aware of the plight of many of her neighbors who are in danger of losing their homes. Though the 2008 Census listed Fairfax County as the second wealthiest county in the United States, this bedroom community of Washington, D.C., has experienced an increase in the number of homeless families that has outpaced the resources of its community service agencies. Concern about the housing crisis led Jill to become a volunteer member of the board of directors for Housing & Community Services of Northern Virginia (HCSNV) in summer 2008. She quickly became the driving force behind a new fundraising race for the homeless, the Drumstix Dash. I managed to drag Jill away from her favorite running trail at Burke Lake Park, in Burke, VA, to talk about the race. EN: Tell me about the Drumstix Dash and how it evolved from your volunteer work. JL: It actually evolved from both my work and my play. I've been a runner since 1994. Motivation is always a challenge for a beginning runner, and I found that running for a good cause was the stimulus I needed. I've participated in many fundraising races. By simply running a race, I can do myself some good while helping my community at the same time—I love that. The other great thing about running is the people you meet. I like to run with a group of women who believe that running and friendly conversation aren't mutually exclusive. They call themselves the “Turtles." Through the Turtles, I met Anna Smith, the immediate Past Board Chair for HCSNV who is a director at Freddie Mac. Since we are both in the housing industry, we often shared information during our runs. The deepening mortgage crisis was, of course, a huge concern for both of us. One day Anna asked me if I'd like to serve on the Board of HCSNV, and I said yes. EN: There are many worthy charities in the Washington, DC, area. Why did you choose to volunteer with HCSNV? JL: The Northern Virginia housing market is something I know inside out. When I first came to the Washington area from New York in 1983, I got a job as a reporter at the Potomac News in Prince William County, VA, where I covered the entire region. Then I worked for the Northern Virginia Building Industry Association for five years during a huge housing boom. Since real estate is always cyclical, I have watched the recent boom go through a major downward cycle during my present stint at the Northern Virginia Association of Realtors® Association. Housing in Northern Virginia is very expensive, and I feel a great empathy for people with challenging housing situations. Here families often can't manage on even two salaries. Breadwinners sometimes have to work two or three jobs just to keep a roof over their heads, which leaves little time for family life. That strikes a chord for me. HCSNV is a nonprofit organization with a staff that trains people to hold onto their homes. The counselors teach self-sufficiency, and I really like that. It's not a handout; it's not like a homeless shelter. They teach people how to budget, how to set goals; and they help them achieve a sustainable living situation, with follow-up monitoring to help make sure they don't get overwhelmed. HCSNV also provides services that the county can't fully provide, such as counseling and case management. EN: Getting back to the Drumstix Dash… JL: Okay, so I joined the HCSNV Board, and the big concern was fundraising. Fairfax County covers 80% of expenses, but the remaining 20% comes from fundraising. Events in the past didn't raise enough money to support HCNV's work, so new ideas for an event were needed. I immediately suggested having a race for the homeless. I also suggested that the race be held around the Thanksgiving holiday because Thanksgiving evokes images of home and family. Besides, competition for a race at that time of year is low, and we know calorie consumption is high. With the help of my fellow board members, this brainchild evolved into the Drumstix Dash 8K and 1 Mile Fun Run/Walk, a fundraising event that will take place for the first time on November 28, 2009, at Burke Lake Park in Burke, VA. In addition to the 8K race, there will also be a family-friendly fun run and walk, refreshments, and goodie bags. I should add that I love Burke Lake and run there most weekends. The natural beauty of the site, with its peaceful lake and colorful fall foliage, will add a magical beauty to the event. One hundred percent of the race's net proceeds will be donated to HCSNV. EN: What have you been doing to get the race on track? JL: A lot of work. I'm not doing it alone. Many people on the Board of HCSNV have worked very hard—Anna Smith, particularly. She got the race certified so that we could be appropriately insured, and she's been great at finding sponsors. She found the volunteer and logistics chairs. My focus is publicity. I've printed 7,000 promotional postcards, 6,000 to be mailed and the rest to be distributed to local running stores. We have a half-page ad placed in regional running publications. I've helped create the marketing materials and sent press releases to local media. I'm also working to get our sponsors to do e-mail blasts to their mailing lists. It's a multi-tiered project, and it's scary to do it the first time because you worry that something might fall through the cracks. So many tasks are critical to the success of the event: packet pickup, registration, food, marking the course so that people don't get lost, parking, first aid?plus we had to find a date when no competing races were scheduled in our area. On top of everything else, it's unnerving to host an event that's so tied in with the weather. EN: Is there anything in your volunteer work now that links up with your experience of growing up in New York City? JL: The common denominator between the two locations is that they're both melting pots. New York City is a highly multi-ethnic place, and in Northern Virginia, the diversity is actually even greater. I feel there's more of an international population here than in New York. I love being in an area where people from all over the world live together. It teaches us how to coexist. EN: Why do you do volunteer work? JL: Volunteer work gives me personal satisfaction and enables me to give back to the community while doing something that's worthwhile to me. To be happy, I have to love the work I'm doing. That means I have to learn from what I'm doing and feel that what I'm doing is something that I can do well. Some things just don't revolve around money.
 Liz Milner is a writer living in Northern Virginia. Her most recent publication is Sordidous Scumme: Quackery in the Time of the Tudors. Her previous contributions to Empty Nest include |
Empty Nest: A Magazine for Mature Families
© 2009 Spring Mount Communications
after graduating from college and finding a job with the Transportation Security Administration's Federal Air Marshal Service, he elected to return home and live with Jill, her husband Cliff, and three very large dogs. Meanwhile, Jill's 18-year-old daughter, Caitlin, has just begun classes at Marist College in Poughkeepsie, NY, on an athletic scholarship. A keen athlete and gifted writer like her mother, Caitlin is a soccer player with tremendous endurance (her position is goalie).