Fredericksburg, Virginia – The Rappahannock Area Community Services Board (RACSB) and Sunshine Lady Foundation will host an open house at the new Lafayette Boulevard Boarding House on Friday, December 11, 2009 from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. The community is encouraged to attend. The newly renovated facility will expand residential services offered by RACSB for adults with serious mental illness.
 
Due to the limited parking available on Lafayette Boulevard, attendees are encouraged to park at the Ronald W. Branscome Building, RACSB Fredericksburg Clinic and Administrative Office, located at 600 Jackson Street, Fredericksburg. RACSB will provide a van shuttle service from the clinic to the Lafayette Boarding House.

In May 2008, RACSB announced a $2 million grant from Doris Buffett’s Sunshine Lady Foundation to build The Sunshine Lady House for Mental Health Wellness & Recovery and renovate an existing building currently owned by RACSB at 818 Lafayette Boulevard for use as an eight-bed long-term boarding house for adults with serious mental illness. The home will provide 24-hour supervision for individuals who require training and assistance in basic daily living functions such as meal preparation, personal hygiene, transportation and budgeting. In Planning District 16, approximately 40 individuals with mental illness are waiting for residential services.
 
“The new building will allow the Rappahannock Area Community Services Board to provide services in a state of the art community residential setting that offers 24-hour supervised care. We’re pleased to be expanding the number of residential beds available in our community to help persons with mental illness maintain their recovery efforts,” said Executive Director Ron Branscome.
 
Prior to the substantial renovation, the facility served as a supervised apartment program for adults with intellectual disabilities. Those individuals relocated to more accessible apartments in June 2008.
 
The Sunshine Lady House for Mental Health Wellness & Recovery is a 12-bed community-based residential facility that welcomed residents on November 16, 2009. The two-story building replaced a six-bed residential crisis stabilization facility previously operated by RACSB on Princess Anne Street, which did not contain adequate space to meet the demand for services.
 
RACSB contracted with G.L.M.G., Inc. General Contractors of Fredericksburg to renovate the Lafayette Boulevard Boarding House and construct The Sunshine Lady House for Mental Health Wellness & Recovery.
 
The Sunshine Lady Foundation, founded and operated by Doris Buffett, is dedicated to breaking the cycles of poverty, abuse, and economic dependence through investment in education. The foundation also focuses on fostering the growth of philanthropy through the educational system by teaching students about modern, socially responsible philanthropy. For additional information, please visit www.sunshinelady.org.