Waynesboro, VA – On March 23 in Waynesboro, DuPont Community Credit Union (DCCU) and Member Investment Services (MIS) will be conducting a workshop on Social Security entitled: “Social Security – Understanding Your Options and Benefits.”

Mr. Edwin “Ned” Sledge, Public Affairs Specialist of the Social Security Administration, will be leading the workshop to discuss the social security program, and answer questions regarding social security benefits. Topics to be covered include:

- How benefits are determined
- Considerations for when to start benefits
- Calculating spouse and widow benefits
- Working after receiving benefits
- Medicare considerations

The workshop will be Tuesday, March 23, 2010, from 6 to 7 p.m. at the DuPont Community Credit Union in Waynesboro, located at 104 Lucy Lane.

For more information, or to reserve a seat for the workshop, eMail: MISdccu at lpl.com, or call: (540) 946.3200, Extension x3338 or x3358.

Disclaimer: Securities, Advisory Services, and Insurance Products Offered Through LPL Financial and its Affiliates. Member FINRA/SIPC. Not NCUA Insured. No Credit Union Guarantee. May Lose Value.

DuPont Community Credit Union, a state chartered, federally insured credit union, is one of 194 credit unions across the Commonwealth. The Credit Union is affiliated with the Credit Union National Association. Credit unions provide members with savings, loans, and other consumer and business financial services.

Who can join DCCU?

The members of DuPont Community Credit Union share a common bond: they live, work, worship, or attend school in the Virginia counties or cities of:

Augusta
Rockingham
Rockbridge
Highland
Bath
Shenandoah
Staunton
Waynesboro
Harrisonburg
Lexington
Buena Vista

Visit the DCCU web site.

From the Fall issue of 7Bends of the Shenandoah magazine…

Strasburg, VA – Scott Rosenfeld has accomplished something lately that few developers across the country can claim. His firm, Rosenfeld & Co., has been moving full steam ahead on projects, in spite of the economy. In fact, he hasn’t slowed down a bit. He never does.

Rosenfeld, a Winchester businessman, saw the potential in Strasburg, a small historic Shenandoah Valley town a few years ago. Now his foresight and perserverance are paying off. Strasburg’s gateway entry – close to the intersection of Route 66 coming out from D.C. and Virginia’s Interstate 81 – has become the new “hot spot” for business in the Valley. Solaris, a California-based company, is getting ready to open their 500,000 square foot factory here where they will take Asian paper and convert it into consumer goods. Solaris chose the Shenandoah County location because it was near the Virginia Inland Port. Rosenfeld’s own Strasburg gateway “additions” are right down the street on Old Valley Pike – and are multiplying like rabbits.

Who says that the Valley is without amenities? Cedar Creek Center, a new brick professional complex built by Rosenfeld’s company, houses two new Strasburg restaurants – Castiliglia’s and Golden China Buffet; as well as N2 Hair, a beauty salon; Thomas Family Dentistry; and Piedmont Medical Laboratory, a Valley Health rehabilitation clinic. He’s also building on a new 9,000 square-foot Valley Health Urgent Care Clinic about 40 miles South of Strasburg in New Market, Virginia.

In addition, Rosenfeld is a partner in the nearby 4-story Fairfield Inn & Suites that opened last year. Winchester Family Practice will also be expanding to the area, opening Strasburg Family Practice in the complex in October.

Rosenfeld made a few new announcements this week. “We’re getting ready to rename Cedar Creek Station. It will now be the “Shentel Station.” Headquartered in Edinburg, Virginia, Shenandoah Telecommunications Company, the largest telephone, cable and Internet provider in the Valley, will be opening a service center and Sprint store in Strasburg.

Perhaps the most significant development news is the continuing construction of Homewood Retirement Community at the Shenandoah Valley, another Rosenfeld-inspired project. The new community, to be built in three phases, is slated to include 118 Independent Living cottages, 60 Independent Living apartments, 40 Assisted Living units and 20 to 40 skilled nursing beds.

The first phase of 32 EarthCraft House cottages is in construction now, and a model is scheduled to open in November. Homewood is one of the largest building projects in progress right now in the entire MidAtlantic region. And, it’s the first large retirement community to be built in the Shenandoah Valley.

“We encourage people to come out and enjoy the Valley, and nature,” Rosenfeld says. “Consider visiting Strasburg, or moving to or retiring here. It’s close to the action, while being far enough out to offer a relaxing retreat from the hustle-bustle workweek. All of our projects are bringing new jobs to the Valley. That’s a very good thing for the area.”

Strasburg, Va. – EarthCraft House is a green building program that serves as a blueprint for healthy comfortable homes that reduce utility bills and protect the environment. The aim of the program is to help home builders be leaders in smart growth management and environmental stewardship. Homewood is one such builder in the Virginia and Maryland marketplace.

According to Earthcraft, building an EarthCraft House is about “constructing a healthy, more valuable home while minimizing environmental impacts.” EarthCraft House follows a systems approach to home building that stresses an understanding of how the different components of a home work together. This approach results in a home that performs better, is more economical for the homeowner (and costs little more to build than a comparable home built with standard construction practices).

The traditional energy sources used by homes can contribute to global warming and other serious environmental problems. Also, the materials used in the construction and maintenance of a typical home can deplete natural resources. Alternatively, an EarthCraft House can increase the energy efficiency of a home by as much as 30 percent, resulting in a reduction of over 1,100 pounds of greenhouse gases introduced into the atmosphere each year.

In addition, EarthCraft homes can conserve water and reduce stormwater pollution. EarthCraft homes are “sensibly built for the environment.”

Earthcraft homes are currently being built in Strasburg, Virginia at 33859 Old Valley Pike – as part of Homewood Retirement Community’s new development, and will be ready beginning this Fall. For more information, or to visit the Sales Center, call (540) 465-5500, or toll free – (866) 781-7333.

Last Thursday, retirement living in Shenandoah County just got one step closer with the official groundbreaking for Homewood at the Shenandoah Valley. Homewood Retirement Centers, headquartered in Williamsport, Maryland, is beginning construction on a full-service retirement community – the only one in Shenandoah County.

Homewood at the Shenandoah Valley will offer independent living cottages and apartments, assisted living and a health care center to meet resident needs. A fcommunity center with dining options, a wellness center, convenience store, and a bank, as well as activity rooms will be built in Phase Two of construction.

“Homewood at the Shenandoah Valley will offer local retirees a lifestyle that is unmatched in Shenandoah County,” said Jan Bane, executive director of the new community at the groundbreaking on May 7. “Residents will be able to take advantage of Homewood’s 77 years of experience in the retirement center industry, as well as the natural beauty of this area.”

Located on 60 acres of land along Route 11 (Old Valley Pike) on the northern edge of Strasburg, Homewood at the Shenandoah Valley will include 114 cottages (39 of which will be built in Phase One), 60 apartments, 40 assisted living units and a small health care center. The first cottages are slated for completion in Fall 2009. Reservations are currently being accepted for the first phase of construction at the Homewood sales office in Strasburg.

“We are thrilled to be expanding into Northern Virginia,” said Ernest W. Angell, Homewood president and CEO, “and Strasburg is a natural fit. Our property is surrounded by protected lands, so the beautiful vistas will not change.”

Homewood Retirement Centers has been providing retirement services since 1932. Homewood currently operates other communities in Williamsport, Frederick and Silver Spring, Md., and Hanover, Martinsburg and Everett, Pa. Homewood at the Shenandoah Valley will be Homewood’s 7th senior living community.

For information, visit http://www.homewood.com/pubs/locations/About_Shenandoah_v.cfm or call: (540) 465-5500 phone, 866-781-7333 toll-free.