SPARC: 'We Depend on the Generosity of the Community'

SPARC (Special Program and Resource Connection), a Yorktown-based nonprofit organization that provides therapeutic recreation for individuals with disabilities, is holding its fourth annual fundraiser this Saturday, April 6. 

"It is our most important fundraiser of the year which will help direct services we are able to offer next year for our participants with developmental disabilities," said Rose Rothe, a Yorktown resident and the organization's executive director.

SPARC provides therapeutic, recreational and social programs to children and adults in schools, community settings and in the home. In all of their programs, Rothe said they strive to "eliminate isolation, foster friendships, offer fun leisure activities, promote confidence, independence and of course, create a positive and joyful atmosphere for each participant."

The actual expenses of their programs cannot be covered through affordable registration fees to families, Rothe said.  

"We depend on the generosity of the community through our fundraising efforts to continue our efforts and make these programs available to over 1,000 individuals in Westchester County," the woman said emphasizing the cut funding from the state. 

The cost to attend the fundraising event is $110. Activities include a photo booth, wine tasting, tarot readings, party favors and more. Featured auction/raffle items include a TV, Kindle, iPad Mini, concert and sports tickets, bags, spa certificates, and more.

The night's honorees are:

Steven and Eileen Prizeman and their family (Pleasantville residents). The Prizenams are parents of a SPARC participant in the organization's KIDZ TIME program for children with autism. The family has been generous in rallying their friends and family to make several years of donations to SPARC in lieu of family gifts.

Claudia Spaziante, Family Support Services Coordinator for the Hudson Valley Developmental Disabilities Services Organization (regional representative for NYS Office for People with Developmental Disabilities). The woman is an advocate for the organization's families and participants to receive the services they need, and to SPARC for promoting their therapeutic recreation programs for state funding and to families seeking high quality and appropriate services for their child. 

PACE University (PACE has made Pleasantville and White Plains facilities affordably available for SPARC, students have served as interns and they have gone the extra mile to support the organization's participants in ways that are meaningful to them—providing campus space for young adults who would otherwise never be able to attend college classes, safe space for children with autism, interaction with our Film Production workshop who interview throughout students and programs on campus.)

Tickets are still available at $110, call 914 243-0583 or register online at www.sparcinc.org. The fundraiser will be held on Saturday, April 6 from 7:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. at the Sleepy Hollow Country Club, located at 777 Albany Post Road in Scarborough.

To read more about SPARC, check out Patch's article and interview with the founder.