Loudoun Organization For People With Disabilities Finds New Home For One Service

Editor's note: We have updated this story to provide the correct number of students at the Aurora School.

LANSDOWNE, VA — After negotiations broke down to keep The Arc of Loudoun at the Paxton Memorial Trust's location, the Arc of Loudoun has found a location for one of its services.

The Arc of Loudoun, which serves around 5,000 people with disabilities, their families and the community, announced its Ability Fitness Center will move to the National Conference Center in Lansdowne. The center, which is therapeutic fitness and wellness program serving people with neurological and developmental disabilities, will be in an expanded facility.

The move from a 1,200-square-foot to 6,000-square-foot facility will expand the Ability Fitness Center program and eliminate a long-term wait list. An expected opening date was not immediately available.

"This move demonstrates our unwavering commitment to creating sustainable, long- term solutions for our programs and the people who rely on them," said Lisa Max, CEO of The Arc of Loudoun. "The National Conference Center stepped forward as a true partner to help ensure that Ability Fitness Center continues to be a community of hope, health, and healing."

"We are proud to support The Arc of Loudoun’s mission and welcome the Ability Fitness Center to our campus," added John Walsh, general manager of the National Conference Center. "This partnership reflects our commitment to serving the broader community in meaningful ways."

The clinician-led Ability Fitness Center features specialized equipment for play-based therapy and activity-based interventions to improve functional ability for individuals with spinal cord injuries, brain injuries, stroke, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, cerebral palsy, balance disorders, developmental disabilities, muscular dystrophy, Down syndrome and other neurological conditions. The expanded location will also allow the center to offer a pediatric program, which will be the first of its kind in Loudoun County.

"Our intensive interventions are aimed at generating the greatest level of independence and recovery possible," said Dr. Helen Parker, clinical director of Ability Fitness Center. "Our team is especially excited to expand into pediatric care, so children can build strength and confidence early in life and improve their independence. We are looking forward to serving people of all ages now that we have the space to make that possible."

People with neurological conditions can obtain monthly memberships at the center to work on their progress after traditional therapy. Donations are being accepted to provide financial assistance to clients and buy new equipment for the expanded location. For more information, visit afc.thearcofloudoun.org.

Since last summer, the Arc of Loudoun said it had been negotiating lease terms with the Paxton Memorial Trust regarding its campus in the Town of Leesburg. The organization has been based at the Leesburg campus for more than 16 years. However, in mid-June, the organization learned that trustees ended mediation and that Arc of Loudoun would need to relocate before the new school year in August.

According to the Loudoun Times-Mirror, the Arc of Loudoun's lease had ended on Aug. 31, 2024. The trust has proposed an expanded campus with multiple tenants and nonprofits providing services. The trust wanted The Arc of Loudoun to be one of its tenants, but the Arc of Loudoun did not agree to remaining under the new terms of the multi-tenant campus.

Previously, The Arc of Loudoun decided to close its preschool and therapy clinic as of Aug. 8 to comply with trustees' requirement for the organization to reduce its footprint at the campus. However, The Arc of Loudoun is pushing for support from the community for the trust to keep the Aurora School on the campus for the 2025-2026 school year. The school served 51 students with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families last year, according to The Arc of Loudoun.

"The challenge isn’t a lack of effort; it’s the specialized nature of our services and the shortage of facilities that can legally, safely, and appropriately house them," said Malcolm Cooke, board president of The Arc of Loudoun, in a news release. "Even if a suitable site were identified for the Aurora School today, we could not reasonably expect to gain the required regulatory approvals to begin the new school year in August."