SPARC honors Sen. Boysko and Del.Reid

SPARC, a non-profit that provides day programs in Northern Virginia for adults with severe and multiple disabilities, hosted its  4th Annual Pancake Breakfast on July 12 with a silent auction and food.

Held at the American Legion Post 177 in Fairfax, the family-friendly event raised $10,000 to support SPARC’s cost-effective, unique program serving young adults who have aged out of the special education support provided by the K-12 system and are not eligible for other community-based programs that serve individuals with severe disabilities.

During the event, Senator Jennifer Boysko and Delegate David Reid were presented SPARC’s Hero Award for their legislative leadership and commitment to disability rights.  Attendees also heard from local champions including Fairfax School Board Member-At-Large Ilryong Moon, Delegate Karen Keys – Gamarra, Fairfax County Supervisors James Walkinshaw, Walter Alcorn, and Rodney Lusk, and Arlington County Board Member J.D. Spain Sr., who spoke about the importance of inclusion and the value SPARC brings to Northern Virginia. Collectively, their support has helped SPARC expand its services and locations to meet the needs of more people across Fairfax, Arlington, Alexandria, and now Loudoun.  

SPARC hosts centers that operate five days a week at various locations throughout Northern Virginia with staff-led programming based on a curriculum rooted in therapeutic recreation principles that consist of continued education/leisure learning, skill building, exercise, excursions, cooking, music, art, lectures, discussion groups, and more. 

SPARC’s clients require support with all daily living activities. Without SPARC they are often neglected and forgotten. SPARC’s annual cost per participant is $9,000.  If the SPARC participant instead attended a Medicaid provider, the taxpayer cost would average $39,000 per year.

Sponsors included NOVEC, The Washington Group, SpeedPro Northern Virginia, Silver Beacon Marketing, Blueberry Shoes Productions, Anna Sudha Community Kitchens, and more.