News - October 3, 2024

For Immediate Release
Contact: Elizabeth Whitman | C: 703.915.5830

Goodwin Living Honors Team Members During 6th Annual Citizenship Celebration

Resident-Inspired Citizenship Program Has Helped 200 Team Members and Their Families Pursue U.S. Citizenship

(Alexandria, Va.) October 4, 2024 — Last month, Goodwin Living, a not-for-profit, faith-based senior living and health care services provider in the National Capital Region, honored team members who have recently obtained their U.S. Citizenship with ceremonies hosted across its three retirement communities: The View Alexandria, Goodwin House Alexandria and Goodwin House Bailey’s Crossroads. The events—which included panel discussions of team members who have recently earned citizenship—celebrated all team members and their loved ones who received support from the Goodwin Living Citizenship Program on their journey to becoming American citizens.

“At Goodwin Living, our mission to support, honor and uplift older adults and those who care for them applies regardless of national origin and citizenship status,” said Goodwin Living President and CEO Rob Liebreich. “Forty percent of our team members come from the global workforce, and one in four are non-citizens. With citizenship application costs soaring and the healthcare workforce shrinking, our citizenship grant program is a solution that helps Goodwin Living recruit and retain hardworking talent and ensures that residents of our retirement communities and patients of our health care services enjoy quality, compassionate care throughout their aging journey.”

The Goodwin Living Citizenship Program is a joint effort between residents and the Goodwin Living Foundation. The program was created in 2018 to support team members in navigating all stages of the long and winding process of pursuing U.S. citizenship—from covering their application fees, which currently cost $760 per person, to connecting them with resident tutors who find purpose in helping aspiring citizens study for their exams. To date, the program has paid the application fees for more than 200 team members and their family members, and over 100 team members and family members have achieved U.S. citizenship.

Rita Siebenaler, a resident of Goodwin House Bailey’s Crossroads and the individual who conceived the idea of the Goodwin Living Citizenship Program, addressed team members at all three citizenship celebrations. Ms. Siebenaler remarked, “As you know, America is a nation based on people coming from elsewhere. Most of us here today are descendants of people who came to seek a better life, looking for the American dream. This is why we have a citizenship program.”

For panelist Awetash Abdu, who acquired her U.S. Citizenship in 2022, the program has had generational impact on her family. Born in Ethiopia and raised in Sudan, Ms. Abdu moved to America with her husband in 1992 but was left to support their six children after his passing, making the cost of pursuing citizenship a burden too heavy to shoulder alone. Ms. Abdu reflected, “Without the Foundation and Goodwin Living, I don’t know what I would have done. I’m so thankful for them making me part of their family.”

Ioana Munteanu, a sales counselor at Goodwin Living who acquired her U.S. Citizenship this year through the program, commented that Goodwin Living is “a place that recognizes everyone’s culture and supports everyone’s journey.”

Ms. Munteanu shared that when she learned from her supervisor that thanks to generous donors the Goodwin Living Foundation would fund her citizenship application fee, she said that she was overwhelmed. “I could not imagine any organization making that investment in team members. It affirmed for me that Goodwin Living is where I want to grow my career.”

Thanks to tremendous donor generosity, the Goodwin Living Citizenship Program continues to grow. The program recently expanded its offerings to include English language classes for those looking to build fluency as well as help team members with the renewal fees for their green cards and work permits. Now in its sixth year of operation, the program remains an industry-leading and nationally recognized employee benefit, paving the way for team members to succeed and strengthening the Goodwin Living community.

For more about the Goodwin Living Citizenship Program, please visit https://GoodwinLiving.org/About-Us/Citizenship/.

For more information about Goodwin Living, please visit https://GoodwinLiving.org/.

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About Goodwin Living™ (GoodwinLiving.org)

Goodwin Living™ touches the lives of thousands of people every day through its range of senior living communities, specialized healthcare services, community partnerships and philanthropic endeavors. With a mission to support, honor and uplift the lives of others (specifically older adults and those who care for them), Goodwin Living leads the way in expanding the places and ways we can all thrive and find purpose as we age. Older adults will discover options that meet them where they want to be, and those options are managed and provided by team members who represent more than 65 countries. Goodwin Living has been a Washington Post Top Workplace for six consecutive years and has been named the #2 Top Workplace for 2024. Get more information at GoodwinLiving.org or by following Goodwin Living on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.