Justice and Human Rights United States Project #9823

Day Support Center For Adults With Disabilities

by Specially Adapted Resource Clubs (SPARC)

Project Report | Nov 6, 2014
New Opportunities for our Members

By George Bounacos | Volunteer

We have had a VERY busy time at SPARC that has created some fabulous opportunities for our participants.

Our big news is that we will soon be able to increase our membership by 50% through some timely grants work and a change in our structure that now charges a relatively minor fee for club members.

SPARC is open four hours every weekday in at least one of two locations. We have also partnered with JSSA, the Jewish Social Services Agency in Fairfax, Virginia to allow our club members to attend life skills and training classes at no additional charge.

Our fee remains only $400 per month, or only $5 an hour. Since JSSA classes can cost several hundred dollar seach, our club members continue to have the most cost-effective adult day services in a unique financial model. We know that any fee is tough for some families and have introduced a new scholarship program.

Donations to SPARC this month will go to that scholarship program so we can reach out to members and their families in months when they have financial need and keep them engaged in their community by visiting SPARC.

These scholarships are funded from a very lean budget so we need your help to create an opportunity for people with financial and disability burdens. Any amount helps to defray our costs in helping dozens of local residents be a vital part of their community by enabling them through education, skill training and community.

Please donate now, and stay tuned for news about our new facility that will allow us to help even more people!

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Aug 4, 2014
Help an Adult with Disabilities Interact Now

By George Bounacos | Volunteer

Art & Music Therapy Are Cornerstones of Our Work

SPARC members need your help now for unforseen expenses that are making it difficult for them to attend our day program and participate in Circuit Train Your Brain(r),

We have begun charging the lowest amount possible to pay our bills while providing programs for young adults with disabilities. One might think the government takes care of these expxenses, but that's not the case for most people. In Virginia, where we are based, the waiting list for benefits is often ten years or longer.

That means that someone leaving high school has to wait until around age 30--or even longer--to begin receiving abt benefits. Until then, many stay at home, unable to engage with their community. Some can and do work, but it's often very hard for example, someone without the use of limbs who is also blind, to find employment.

Our member-friends are why we started SPARC. For years, people have worked without pay to help make ends meet. Even our few employees who are paid (including management) would have the option of free or reduced price school lunches because of the small amount they accept for their work.

We Need Your Ongoing Donation for Just One Hour A Month

We've done everything we can to slash costs while still providing appropriate and educational day programs. We got the price down to only $400 per month for someone to attend SPARC. We're trying to arrange scholarships now for people who need financial assistance in attending SPARC.

Please donate a recurring $10 each month to provide one hour of a scholarship.

You can change a person's life for the cost of a matinee movie or a couple of cups of fancy coffee. We'll always gladly create a full scholarship for you and even name it in honor of your friends, loved ones or company.

But we ask you today for that one hour that changes someone's life because every four people who do so create a full scholarship between them.

Donate $10 today as a recurring gift and be part of that enriching environmnent.

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Apr 2, 2014
A Month In Our Lives

By George Bounacos | Volunteer

Adapted means for everyone!

SPARC's official name is Specially Adapted Resource Clubs. We are proud of our name because we believe that just about any activity you can think of can be adapted so that everyone can participate. Some of our club members have intellectual or physical challenges and adapting things can sometimes take time or some extra resources.

But we believe in doing and living. Here is what we just did over the past few weeks.

If you support us financially, we can open our next clubhouse that much faster.

THE SNOWS ARE GONE

We missed a lot of gathering together time this winter because the Virginia suburbs of Washington, D.C. had many more snow days than usual. Like many organizations, we follow the lead set by our local school system. We also have another way to gauge a storm's impact: the federal government! The U.S. government only closed once in the past decade until this winter! With a bunch of snow days, many of us could not get to the clubs because we rely on public transportation.

But the snow didn't stop us from having an amazing time.

ART, MUSIC and COOKING

All SPARC members get to participate in art and music therapy. And we still managed to have plenty of both despite the snow. Our award-winning artwork has been shown in office buildings and the government center.

We also love to cook! We made family meals this winter as part of the way we do outreach to others. Our McLean club made an amazing Lemon Rosemary Chicken and the Reston club brought the pasta with sumptuous spaghetti and meatballs!

And we celebrated on March 1 with a King's Cake! Lucky Ellen got the coin this time!

GETTING PHYSICAL

Our friends at Fitness First came to visit and helped show us some amazing stretching activities. Don't forget, a physical challenge doesn't mean that you shouldn't move. And boy, we can move!

We also had a great time bowling on February 1. Bowling is a terrific indoor activity. Our trip this month gave us a nice break from our learning about Native American culture.

So how did you spend your winter? We couldn't get to our clubhouses every day, but we made every day that we could visit count.

Please help us continue our mission by donating today. This is just a tiny fraction of the things we do because SPARC believes that everyone should be able to participate in their local community.

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