Meet Our Members

Meet Amelia & Skip: Together, Always

Amelia and Skip (Leonard) have shared a lifetime of adventures. Skip had a career handling business transactions around the world, while Amelia spent years with the World Bank followed by success as a fashion designer. They traveled everywhere, embracing each new culture and filling every home with her signature elegance. Their love is quiet, steady, and deep—a love that has weathered decades of change.

Preparing for retirement, they downsized from a large home into an apartment in Friendship Heights years ago—a home and neighborhood they grew to cherish. However, increased aging brought new challenges.

Now in their 90s, they began struggling with balance, and falls became frequent and frightening. With no children to help, they were worried how they would manage in the home they loved.

That’s when they reached out to Friendship Heights Neighbors Network and became Full Members, which entitles them to receive services from our volunteers. Several volunteers who live in their building now check in regularly. FHNN provided rides for Amelia to visit Skip at rehab when he needed help with his balance and other problems. Volunteers also drive her to the hair appointment she goes to each week to maintain her elegance and style.

Today, Amelia and Skip still live together in the home they cherish. Skip watches Amelia with quiet love, and Amelia, elegant and chatty as always, throws regular dinner parties.

Thanks to FHNN, they are not only safe—they are thriving.

 

Meet Zsuzsanna: Crafting Connections

From navigating a new life in America after emigrating from Hungary to organizing a busy life with career and children, Zsuzsanna has always been resilient. In retirement, she faced new challenges. Companionship from work was gone, and she worried about getting to doctors' appointments without bothering her busy family now that she's in her 80s.

That's where we came in. As a Full Member, Zsuzsanna was connected with a nearby volunteer who speaks fluent Hungarian(!). They now meet regularly for visits, sharing stories and laughter in Zsuzsanna's native language.

Her connections don't stop there. She’s a regular at our social events, and she also received advice on a crocheting project from members of our Crafts & Chat group—a blanket she was making for her granddaughter. With FHNN, Zsuzsanna can focus on the parts of life that bring her joy, instead of worrying about the future.

Meet Iris and Michael: An Active Life

Iris and Michael have been married for 60 years, sharing a life filled with the rewards of career, family, and culture. Michael served as a World Bank economist, traveling the globe. Iris was a public finance expert and manager, working in the labor movement and for a nonprofit focusing on low-income households. They moved to Washington, D.C., in 1969 and raised two sons and a daughter. After retirement, they settled in Friendship Heights in 2017, opting for an apartment over a large, four-story house with many stairs.

 

They remain exceptionally active. Since retiring at 72, Iris has written and published two novels and remains involved in their synagogue. Michael, who for years played violin in a community orchestra, took up the piano when physical problems intervened. He walks several miles daily with their active 12-year-old Goldendoodle, Mango. The couple enjoys attending the many concerts and plays in the area, traveling—although not as much as they used to—and spending time with their family and young grandsons in D.C.

 

The Lavs are currently Social Members of FHNN. They volunteer now and then to help out Full Members and enjoy going to the occasional FHNN program. They plan on becoming Full Members should the need arise, and in the meantime, they will continue to be active and engaged in their community and interests.