Innisfree Village *

Innisfree Village is a fully licensed, residential community with adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Founded in 1971, this nonprofit, nonsectarian, therapeutic farm community is located on 550 acres in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains outside the university town of Charlottesville, Virginia.

Our Guiding Principles 

1. Be a model therapeutic environment with people with intellectual disabilities, emphasizing empowerment, interdependence, and mutual respect of all community members
2. Evolve with the changing needs of the individuals with intellectual disabilities within the community and beyond
3. Value work and foster creativity through artistic crafts, stewardship of the land, and daily community life
4. Promote efforts in the stewardship of the land to acknowledge the reciprocal relationship between human health and the natural environment
5. Encourage the integration of community members into the larger society through participation in cultural, educational, recreational, religious, and volunteer programs
6. Rely for its financial resources upon family support, the spirit of volunteerism, and private funding
7. Support and encourage the talents and individuality of community members from diverse educational, national, ethnic, and social backgrounds

Lifesharing

At the heart of the Innisfree experience is lifesharing among Innisfree’s more than 75 coworkers, volunteer caregivers, and long-term staff. Lifesharing at Innisfree means that coworkers and their caregivers live, work, and play together, sharing the joys, sorrows, satisfactions, and frustrations of everyday living. In this close-knit environment, everyone learns from each other, and community members can develop profound lifelong relationships.

Residential Volunteers

Volunteering is an essential part of lifesharing. Residential Volunteers live in one of our family-style homes with 1-2 other volunteers and 2-6 coworkers (adult residents with disabilities). They oversee the personal care of the coworkers and management of their house. Some experience in personal care and house management is helpful, but not required. Volunteers must be at least 18 years of age with maturity, patience, flexibility, and a sense of humor. Volunteers come from all walks of life and all around the world, bringing cultural traditions and ideas that enrich community life. In order to build and maintain meaningful and strong connections, we ask that volunteers commit to at least one year of service with the community. We also have a one-month trial training and orientation period where volunteers learn the necessary skills of a residential caregiver as well as our model of lifesharing and intentional community living. In addition to house life, volunteers also participate and provide support to coworkers in our various therapeutic workstations. These areas include the weavery, farm, woodshop, herb and vegetable gardens, art studio, bakery, pottery studio, music therapy, and a community kitchen.