Celebrate
We believe in inclusion in community life for people with disabilities. The Arc fosters social connections and relationships throughout the year through parties, gatherings, and other community events.
Annual Event
For the second year in a row, we gathered for Arc in the Park on June 10, 2023 at Nellie’s Cave Park in Blacksburg, VA. We enjoyed hot dogs and pulled pork barbecue, salad and watermelon, snow cones and cake! The main event was our Gift Card Raffle and the presentation of this year’s Renee Brown Award to Sheila Roop. The Raffle was our annual fundraiser and highlighted all the great NRV businesses who donated gift cards.
Renee S. Brown Award
Traditionally awarded each year at our Annual Event, the Renee S. Brown award shines a light on remarkable individuals in our community who embody The Arc’s vision: People with disabilities leading full, rich lives as active contributing members of the communities.” In 2023, we presented the award to Sheila Roop in absentia. Sheila just finished her long tenure as the executive director of the Individuals with Disabilites Agency. Her work enriched the lives of people with disabilities in our community. The IDA social events and classes offered people with disabilities opportunities to dance and celebrate and to learn new skills. Sheila partnered with Special Olympics by facilitating the participation of New River Valley para athletes in track and field, basketball, and swimming to name just a few of the events. In addition, she is a Medicaid Waiver mentor who helped people through the complicated process of applying for a waiver and she serves on the Board of New River Valley Community Services.
The Christmas Cookie Party
Each December, our Board members, community members and friends get together to enjoy a tempting array of homemade cookies and other kinds of sweet treats as we sing along to holiday songs! This year we held our Cookie Party over Zoom as a decorating contest on December 13, 2020!
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