Hope Family Village
A community-centric collaborative offering acceptance, housing, and sustainable support for people with mental health conditions and their families.
Who We Are
In the way of background, we have decided to create a village, where neighbors help neighbors. Only, our village caters to caregiving and support for family members who endure mental illness. By design, we are an inclusive group. We are ordinary families and their loved ones, and quite possibly people who want to live in a place of acceptance, where understanding, caring for and about mental health conditions is a top priority.
We began with 7 families. Stated meeting about once a month for dinner to keep getting to know each other, talk about the most recent projects. Our idea, which grew out of a brainstorming workshop staged by NAMI Mid-Tidewater (April 2016) was 25 families living together on 25 acres, with a multi-purpose common house, pathways, gardens and recreational areas. The homes might be regular single family, or condos, and incorporate tiny homes (or small condos). Above all else, we would mutually support one other and be willing to help a neighbor.
TEAM
W. Corey Trench
President, Co-founder, Director
For over 30 years, Corey consulted to the national electric utility industry on environmental matters. His speciality: the design and development of pollution prevention methods, policy and practices. Married for 40 years, the father of three adult sons, not until 2011, when a family member was impacted, did he become fully aware of serious mental illness and its consequences. Since then, Corey has worked with others to investigate care alternatives. He serves as President of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Williamsburg (501(c)3). Corey holds a BS degree in Biology from the College of William and Mary and MS degree in Urban and Environmental Studies from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
Carmen M. Andreoli
Treasurer, Co-founder, Director
Carmen is a regional sales manager for Constellation Energy (a subsidiary of Exelon Energy). For 45 years, he has served the energy industry, often in executive management positions with profit and loss responsibilities. Throughout Carmen’s career he has sought innovation in energy provision. With Hope Family Village, his interest is to trigger a paradigm shift in the status quo of longterm care for families coping with mental heath issues. Carmen's motivation stems from a family member's ongoing challenges associated with mental illness. He also serves as Treasurer of NAMI Williamsburg. Carmen earned a BS degree in Accounting from St. Francis University and an MBA from West Chester University of Pennsylvania.
Thomas P. Rideout
Vice President, Co-Founder, Director
A former community bank CEO, American Bankers Association president
and Savannah (GA) Area Chamber of Commerce Chairman, Tom is
inherently community-focused. He is driven by grass roots, innovative
solutions to business and social problems, feeling strongly that
demonstrable entrepreneurial problem solving often triggers scalable
regional and national progress. Tom is currently a Partner in The Invictus
Group, a national bank data analytics consultancy and serves as a
volunteer Executive Partner at William & Mary’s Raymond A. Mason
School of Business. He earned a BA degree (cum laude) in History from
Washington and Lee University, where as an alumnus he was inducted
into Omicron Delta Kappa, the National Honorary Leadership Society.
Tom completed professional development programs at the University of
Pennsylvania’s Wharton School (Investment Banking) and Georgetown
University (Leadership Coaching), and he is an Honorary Alumnus of The
College of William & Mary.
Allen H. Whitehead, Jr.
Secretary, Co-Founder, Director
Allen had a 39-year career as an aerospace engineer and project manager at the NASA Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. In his early years, he conducted basic research on hypersonic aerodynamics. His career culminated in the management of several national, multi-agency projects on advanced aircraft and space vehicles. Allen has been married for 52 years. He and his wife are the proud parents of three children and grandparents of four. Allen became aware of the devastating effects of mental illness when a family member was struck with schizophrenia. He is a board member of NAMI Williamsburg. He holds a BS degree in Mechanical Engineering from Princeton University and a MS in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Virginia.
Lisa R. Thomas
Director
Lisa R Thomas has worked at Child Development Resources, a children's nonprofit, for over 30 years currently serving as Deputy Director. When she and her husband became legal guardians of a young man with mental health issues, they found many gaps in the system of care. Lisa's focus has always been on how to maximize potential and independence for all individuals and their families. Lisa serves on the Hope Family Village Board and is active in the community with variety of organizations related to children and families. Lisa holds a BS in Psychology from the College of William and Mary, her MSW from the Rutgers University School of Social Work, and her Ed.S. from the School of Education at W & M.
Sandra Mottesheard
Co-founder, Director
Sandra is the current 1 st Vice President of VA National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) and Affiliate leader/Program Director for NAMI Mid-Tidewater. Sandra is an experienced Rehabilitation Counselor and holds an MS in rehabilitation counseling with a specialization in special education from Virginia Commonwealth University and a BS in Psychology. Married 33 years, Sandra and husband received their child’s diagnosis of severe mental illness at young age of 13, they became highly involved in advocacy. Sandra worked as a rehabilitation counselor for 10 years on a specialty caseload serving individuals with severe mental illness. She has been involved in outreach for over 20 years in rural communities helping to arrange disability awareness events, served on Governor’s Crisis Response workgroup and Center for Behavioral Health and Justice among others. Sandra is a state licensed Certified Rehabilitation Provider, Certified Rehabilitation Counselor, Offender Workforce Development Facilitator and Global Career Development Facilitator.
Blog
Since January, we have been running full out. (I have noticed some grey hair appearing.) 1. In July we will open the first Fairweather Lodge in Virginia. The Williamsburg Fairweather Lodge has been a long time coming. Beginning in 2015, we took part in national lodge events and conferences. In 2017, we started a virtual lodge at The Coffee House. Now, here we are four lodge members moving into a real house. They have been working on their lodge rules … read more
Dave Ress, Daily Press, interviewed founding families at our monthly dinner at Jimmy’s, December 13 – to find out more about Hope Family Village. Our ambitions. His piece appeared on Christmas Eve. Our families were overjoyed to see the coverage. Neighboring NAMI Affiliates have been contacting us with the same excitement. Our colleagues at the Coalition for Community Living, where Hope Family Village is a member, really liked the presentation.
We competed our first year of the 501(c)3 Nonprofit Public Charity, Hope Family Village. Our accomplishments have been stunning! Number 1. Hope Family Village was named in the Governor’s Budget for the development of a community for 25 caregiving families and their loved ones living with a mental illness. Since June, we have been working with James City County Planning and Social Services, culminating in the submission of a preliminary conceptual design. The project will take an estimated … read more
When others are running from a problem, we are embracing it. Turning difficulty upside down into opportunity. We see what others might not. We take one small thing, a family dinner, demonstrate it, and show how it leads to another small thing. Eventually, you wind up with a neighborhood. A family of acceptance and respect. Unafraid of the future. That’s Hope Family Village. And, why you want to be here more than any place else. The welcome mat is out.
Let us show you something. Yeah, it’s a preliminary, draft conceptual design for one prospective location at Eastern State. We shared it with James City County Planning and Social Service last Friday. The board has engaged award-winning community architect Laura Fitch at the toughest stage. The starting blocks. And, on a very quick turn around, combined with a snow storm. We know terrain laced with obstacles.