Family Perspectives

Real Families. Real Loudoun Life.  

Meet the families featured in BeLocal Loudoun County and explore the stories that reflect the heart of life in Loudoun County. From community involvement to local businesses and traditions, these features highlight the people and connections that make Loudoun such a special place to call home.  

The Ventrice Family: Loudoun Roots, Community & Connection

The Ventrice Family: Loudoun Roots, Community & Connection

We are Don, Renee, Gino, and Beemer Ventrice. Gino was raised here. He started his Loudoun education at Christian Fellowship Day School, played baseball, and graduated from Briar Woods High School in 2016. Beemer was Gino’s 8th birthday present in 2006 and he is still going strong at 19 years old. We moved to Ashburn in 2003 and have lived in Broadlands since 2005. Don and I are both US Navy veterans and we met while serving together in Rota, Spain. Together, we founded, built, and later sold an international award-winning Loudoun winery and brewery tour company called Cork & Keg Tours.

Currently, Don manages a team of 500 at a cybersecurity company. I am a Sommelier, Marketing Strategist, and author. Loudoun has a vibrant business community with plenty of resources to shine in multiple industries, so I could not pick just one. I host upscale events with local Loudoun businesses called Wineauxclock® Culinary Experiences. When I am not pairing wine with life, I work as a Bizlationships® marketing strategist and connect Loudoun entrepreneurs with ideal collaborators.

My Amazon number one bestseller POUR Relationship Choices reflects my love of business, wine, and relationships. I am planning the next book in the series, focused on Loudoun’s craft beverage and small business community. We meet so many people here whose stories have real POURsonality and I cannot wait to share what makes this place special.

We enjoy all sides of Loudoun recreation, from wineries and breweries to sporting events and shooting ranges. Gino often says it is pretty cool to come home and hang out with us at a shooting range or listen to a band at a brewery, and he usually leaves with a few bottles of wine too.

Don and I are unapologetic foodies and love the adventurous dining options close to home. Food is a factor for us. Don grew up in Brooklyn and did not expect Loudoun to have so many cuisines to choose from, and he is glad he was wrong. Some of our favorites include Cafe Opera in Ashburn, Bia Kitchen in Purcellville, and GVino in Leesburg.

Volunteerism is important to us and we have always had many causes close to our hearts. I loved volunteering as the Broadlands Live emcee for 13 years and those events created many joyful memories for me. More importantly, we were able to raise Gino to be philanthropic from a young age through our support of Mobile Hope, Veterans Moving Forward, LAWS, and various food kitchens.

As international travelers, living so close to Dulles Airport has been one of the greatest benefits of choosing Ashburn as our home. After 22 years near Dulles, we create stories around the flight destinations and passengers based on the time and sound— one of our favorite family quirks. The convenience of easy access to the world is priceless.

We love raising a glass at wineries, dining through downtown Leesburg, and exploring everything Loudoun offers. But our favorite place to spend time together will always be our own backyard.

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FAVORITES AROUND LOUDOUN

RESTAURANTS

 Ted’s Bulletin (best grits in the county)

 Bia Kitchen • GVino • Café Opera (local go-tos for incredible meals)

WINERY / GATHERING SPOT

 50 West Vineyards — signature Wineauxclock® moments with spectacular views.

LOCAL SHOP

 Misguided Angels — Renee’s favorite wardrobe refresher.

 Fun note: Don has “special status” as an invited husband — the owner can tell you why!

TOWN TO EXPLORE

 Downtown Leesburg — spontaneous strolls, boutique hopping, shop-local love.



By Renee Ventrice


Meet the Venkats: A Family with a Giving Spirit

“Be the change you wish to see in the world.” The inspirational quote is one that theVenkat family of Ashburn Village has embraced. Over the last decade, the Venkats collectively earned over 35,000 volunteer hours. Calculate that time into monetary valueand that’s well over a million dollars.

“Service has been an integral part of our lives for as long as we can remember,” says sisters, Shreyaa (22) and Esha (19). “We started giving back from a very young age, alongside our parents, especially our mom, who would bring us along to volunteer at

school and community events even back in elementary school.”

Those early years of volunteerism pushed the sisters to create their own nonprofit in 2016. “We had so much fun giving back in the community, especially with our own family, that we wanted to create opportunities where other families and friends could

volunteer together and explore their passions,” explain Shreyaa and Esha. “That’s what led us to form NEST4US, through which we offer a multitude of volunteer opportunities where people of all ages and backgrounds can discover their service “niche” or the

issue or issues they’re super passionate about and be part of the solution.”

Their mom, Anu Raghunathan, serves as president of NEST4US. She’s also the Vice President of SaveSoft Inc. and a certified Zumba instructor. “Our mom loves sharing stories about how she enjoyed participating in different forms of community service

during her childhood in India. Now, she’s so proud to pass on this legacy to her children, who are embodying her same love and passion for volunteerism.” Her husband, Venkat Ganapathy, also is one of the nonprofit’s most avid volunteers. Additionally, he’s a

senior architect at CareFirst, an adjunct professor at UMBC, and a second-degree black belt.

Their daughters agree that their parents have been extraordinary influences on their lives. “From them, we learned to put others’ needs before our own and never give up. Ever since we started NEST4US, they’ve been by our side, supporting us and lifting us

up to be the best versions of ourselves that we can be. We really wouldn’t be where we are today without them.”

The sisters graduated from Broad Run High School. Shreyaa is currently a master’s student at Georgetown University majoring in global health. Additionally, she’s the CEO of NEST4US, as well as a third-degree black belt, soccer player, international speaker,

and social activist pursuing a career in health policy and international development.

Esha is a sophomore at Georgia Institute of Technology majoring in public policy and minoring in global development. She’s the COO of NEST4US, and also a third-degree black belt, soccer player, hip-hop dancer, and avid advocate for sustainability,

international collaboration, and community service.

“As we look into our personal lives, our goal is to utilize our post-secondary educations at Georgetown University and Georgia Tech to build a bridge between our grassroots work of NEST4US and the policy realm to advance progress on sustainable

development, food security, and health equity for all,” the sisters share about their future goals. Moreover, they’d like to expand all of NEST4US’s programs globally, grow their volunteer family, and “progress towards a sustainable, united world through policy

implementation in local, national, and global communities.”

Although their nonprofit has put them in the limelight, with meeting highly regarded public figures, invitations to the White House, and national media coverage, they want to be known for the impact they make on people’s lives. “We all hope to leave behind a

legacy defined by love and kindness, with people remembering us as people who led from the heart and truly made a difference in the world.” 

You can keep up to date with all of the NEST4US initiatives and activities at www.nest4us.org.

Everyday Life for the Family

Simply put, no day is the same for the family of four. During the weekdays, Anu and Venkat are working in their jobs, while Shreyaa and Esha are learning a lot in their college classes. In the mix, Shreyaa and Esha have various meetings with local,

national, and global organizations they serve as leaders. There are also food rescues throughout the week and service events.

On the weekends, the family is busy engaging in service opportunities of all kinds, from community give back events and volunteer fairs to resource distributions, global workshops, and more. With any spare time, the family enjoys playing cards, watching movies, and going on leisurely strolls at the park.

Some of their favorite hobbies include traveling, watching soccer, playing cards, especially Phase 10. The family loves to watch movies, working out at the Ashburn Pavillion gym, strolling through Dulles Town Center, and hanging out at one of Loudoun’s parks and lakes.

“Our family loves traveling—we've been to over 30 countries including Australia, Switzerland, Colombia, Italy, the UK, India, Germany, Costa Rica, Ireland, and France.” On their vacations, the family always snaps 0.5 selfies to document their trips. They

also always collect magnets as memorable keepsakes.

Favorites Around Loudoun

Restaurant: Bawarchi Biryanis in Ashburn

Ice Cream: Bruster’s Ice Cream

Family Gathering Place: Ashburn Library

Hike: W&OD Trail

Date Night /Activity: Regal Cinemas

Fun facts!

“Every year, our family competes to see who listens to the most music throughout the year, culminating on Spotify Wrapped day—everything from pop, rap, Indian music, and K-pop to classical, folk, indie pop, and more.”

“We love binge-watching Netflix shows including Outer Banks, Cobra Kai, Never Have I Ever, Wednesday, How to Get Away with Murder, etc. in our home theater!”

Family traditions:

“Our family embraces our deep Indian cultural roots by celebrating all our beautiful traditions, including Diwali, Pongal, Navarathri, Tamil New Year, Ganesh Chaturthi, Karthigai Deepam, etc. One of our favorites is definitely Diwali (Festival of Lights),

where we love dressing up in traditional Indian clothing, eating homemade sweets, and lighting firecrackers.”

New Year’s Eve Gratitude Jar: “Throughout the year, we write a little note of gratitude every week and on New Year’s Eve, we sit down together, reflect on the highlights of the year, and share our excitement for the new year.”

Annual Secret Santa: Exciting gift exchange with extended family Phase 10 Leaderboard: “We’ve invented our own edition of the card game, and we compete to see who wins the most games every year.”

Thanksgiving Season Volunteering: The family has volunteered at the Safeway Feast of Sharing for the past six years to serve meals to unhoused neighbors during Thanksgiving in Washington D.C. They also host a Thanksgiving feast for the homeless

community every year.


By Lia Hobel

Photography by Photos by Lis

  Homegrown in Loudoun: The Ruscitella Family's Endearing Bond


Like any family of five, the Ruscitellas wrestle with unexpected challenges and daily life. Still, each family member finds comfort in giving back and their time together. “Like any other family, we have ups and downs,” shared Allyson Ruscitella, who serves as the Director of Development at Mobile Hope and “mom” of the household. “We are great at celebrating each other’s successes and pulling together when things are tough. And life has gotten tough a lot.”

Allyson and her husband Bill, an independent insurance agent with PMA Insurance Services for the past 10 years, share three children – Sarah (24), Ryan (21), and Will (14). Their middle child, Ryan, has Apert Syndrome and has undergone nearly 30 surgeries. “We have learned to rely on each other and friends and family. The tough times make life sweeter,” added Allyson who noted her fondness for this year’s family vacation to St. John. “Every day is an adventure with these four, and sometimes that means cheesesteaks at midnight when we just can't get it together. Some days our house looks like Pinterest and other days it looks like 45 people live here who have never been taught how to clean a pot,” she joked.

The Ruscitellas have resided in Purcellville for 10 years. They appreciate family dinners, even if it’s an unplanned meal with limited ingredients on hand. “A well-oiled machine we are not,” said Allyson. “There’s a lot of coming and going, surprise changes in plans, dogs barking, noise, and activity. Sports are usually on the television, Red Sox if it’s baseball season.” The family has been to Fenway Park a few times.

Bill is passionate about coaching youth sports and Allyson describes him as a “sports nut.” Bill has served on the board of the Western Loudoun Basketball League and coaches annually in their recreational and travel divisions since first moving to Purcellville. Furthermore, he’s the current “voice” of the Purcellville Cannons, volunteering as the public address announcer, and

has been doing so since the inaugural 2016 season. Additionally, Bill has announced high school sports and coached all three kids in football, soccer, baseball, and basketball.

As for work, Bill specializes in small to medium-sized business insurance, along with homeowners and personal auto coverage. He’s impassioned about helping entrepreneurs start and grow their businesses. Bill was named “Best of Loudoun” from 2016 through 2019. His business motto is "Your interests come first,” and considers himself more of a trusted advisor and extension of his client's business as opposed to an insurance salesman. 

Through Allyson’s work at Mobile Hope, she says she’s following her passion to empower homeless and at-risk youth (up to age 24) to create the life they envision. “It’s easy to imagine youth homelessness around the world— not around the corner. But it's here in Loudoun County and I am honored to work with the team at Mobile Hope to give every youth a fair shot at stability and wellbeing.”

Their oldest child, Sarah, graduated from Loudoun Valley High School in 2017. She majored in

Psychology at William & Mary for undergrad. For grad school, she completed the school of psychology program and received her master's in education (2021) and her education specialist degree in 2023. She’s starting her first year as a school psychologist for Loudoun County Public Schools. Sarah loves the small-town feel of Purcellville but also the proximity to DC. 

Their son, Ryan, has not let Apert Syndrome damper his outlook on life. “When I was a child, I had many surgeries on my hands and feet,” said Ryan who shared how he dealt with bullying. “These challenges have made me strong and resilient so much so that my family and friends have given me the nickname “palm tree” because a palm tree withstands harsh winds and fierce storms like I have overcome difficult challenges. Despite these challenges, I have led a successful life and continue to inspire others.” 

Ryan, too, has a commitment to serve. He volunteers at Mobile Hope, helping with their

community outreach program, "Listen for the Honk." This program has served over 375,000 family members since the pandemic. He also served as the equipment manager of the Purcellville Cannons and currently volunteers as a press box scoreboard operator and music coordinator. Chick-fil-A has been his employer for two years.

As for Will, he’s in his freshman year at Loudoun Valley High School. His hobbies include dancing, listening to music, and hanging out with his family and friends. He dances on the Loudoun Valley Dance Team and his favorite thing to do in Loudoun is go out to eat.Currently, Will is employed at Empress Pearl Tea in Purcellville, a boba shop. He also volunteers at Graffiti &Silk, a non-profit thrift store for Mobile Hope.

The Ruscitellas love everything that Loudoun has to offer. On weekends, they enjoy driving on Loudoun country roads with no destination in mind. “We do this often and always have a great day ending up at a brewery or winery that we have yet to enjoy,” said Bill. “Sometimes there is also fishing, but always there are amazing country sunsets and amazing nature.”

Fast Facts with the Ruscitellas!

The Best Thing About Loudoun: The people! The bucolic views, small-town living, and access to Washington DC. 

Favorite Loudoun Activity: Shop at Graffiti and Silk by Mobile Hope

Favorite Loudoun Restaurant: The Local Cut

Favorite Loudoun Coffee Shop: Doppio Bunny 

Favorite Loudoun Ice Cream/Dessert: My Deli

Favorite Brewery & Date Night Location: Dirt Farm

Favorite Words/Motto To Describe Your Family: “We’re In This Together.

By Lia Hobel

Photography by Jenny Sessoms

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