Dulles – SPARC—Gratitude Gala 2024
Washington Dulles Airport Marriott
The Specially Adapted Resource Center (SPARC) Gratitude Gala, held on Nov. 2, 2024, brought together community leaders and supporters for a heartfelt evening of recognition and celebration. Honoring Sen. Mark Warner as SPARC Hero of the Year, the event underscored the organization’s mission to empower young adults with severe disabilities. With more than 280 attendees—including prominent officials such as Virginia Delegates Karen Keys-Gamarra and David Reid—the gala showcased community strength. The evening featured a reception with a silent auction, hors d’oeuvres, and a gourmet dinner crafted by Chef Charlie Loomis, known for his epic win against Bobby Flay in a Food Network competition, followed by awards and dancing—all thoughtfully designed for accessibility.
Raising $100,000 for SPARC, the gala highlighted the organization’s transformative impact in Northern Virginia. Arienne Thompson Plourde, senior program manager of community development and social impact at Google Data Centers, which partners with SPARC, commends the organization’s mission: “It is not just noble, it’s necessary. Every member of our community deserves the opportunity to dream, to be seen and heard, and to know that someone is thinking of them.”
Former Dranesville Supervisor John Foust, gala co-chairs Dave and JoAnne Adams, Supervisor Walter Alcorn, and Supervisor Rodney Luskl.
Former Dranesville Supervisor John Foust, gala co-chairs Dave and JoAnne Adams, Supervisor Walter Alcorn, and Supervisor Rodney Luskl.
Jim and Ellen Dyke, Karen Alexander, and Ross Weiner.
Menard Lang, general manager, Washington Dulles Airport Marriott.
This article originally appeared in the February 2025 issue.
