Havana Nights
Havana Nights
The Arc NCR’s 21st After d’Arc Gala
Friday, May 8, 2026 from 7:00 — 11:00 P.M.
Water’s Edge Events Center
4687 Millennium Dr. Belcamp, MD 21017
Join us for a night bursting with rhythm, color, and cause.
Step into the soul of Havana as we dance, dine, and honor every shade of the human experience.
Celebrate neurodiversity. Champion mental health.
Together, we’ll color outside the lines and create a future where every mind matters.
Open Bar, Music by the Klassix, Dancing, Silent and Live Auctions and Saxon’s Jewelry Raffle.
Click to open the ticket order form.
Learn about our sponsorship opportunities.
Click to see the sponsors of our 2026 After d’Arc Gala.
Saxon’s Diamond Centers
Purchase your tickets or become a sponsor for the event today.
Click here to download our Sponsorship Packet.
Plan on experiencing the vibrance of Havana May 8, 2026.
Title Sponsor, Anchor Mechanical
The After d’Arc Gala is The Arc NCR’s largest fundraiser of the year, attracting over 300 top donors throughout Harford and Cecil County who believe in our mission — empowering people with differing abilities to live, work and thrive in the community. The Arc NCR’s 20th Annual After d’Arc Gala was a great success. Our net profit was $286,000. We look forward to another successful year, and hope that you will be able to join us. For more information, contact The Arc NCR’s Development team by emailing development@arcncr.org.
Thank you to all who contributed to The Arc NCR’s 20th Annual After d’Arc Gala.
The event was a roaring success!
Net Profit: $286,000
Our generous sponsors and donors have made this another record-breaking year for the total funds raised and our Fund the Need Campaign which raised $142,050.
Click to see the sponsors of our 2025 After d’Arc Gala.
Another special thank you to Title Sponsor, Bravura Information Technology Systems, Inc.
Save the date for next year’s Gala, May 8, 2026.
Attire
Step into the vibrant energy and fashion of Havana! Think bold, tropical, and full of life. Corals, teals, yellows, and even florals are great colors and patterns for this theme. Pops of color, flowy dresses, and statement accessories are the vibe.
The dress code for this special evening is formal attire (suits or tuxedos for men, gowns or fancy dresses for women).
Seating
Due to the event’s layout and format, reserved seating will be limited. Only our Title Sponsor, Jewelry Sponsor, and Presenting Sponsors will have designated seats. However, ample seating will be available throughout Water’s Edge Events Center. To enhance the experience, we’re creating more open space for networking, dancing, and entertainment!
Menu
If you have a dietary restriction, email development@arcncr.org your request/restriction by Friday, April 25th. The Chef will not be able to accommodate day of requests.
Our Fund the Need Campaign
Over the year’s, the Fund the Need campaign of The Arc NCR’s After d’Arc Gala has been a critical support for the organizations mission and truly moving it forward. Below are the previous 5 campaigns, with links to the campaign videos to learn more.
- 2025: Employment Services – raised $143,000 toward supporting our Employment Services program.
- 2024: Community Living – raised $122,000 toward purchasing a new home for The Arc NCR’s Community Living program.
- 2023: Accessible Transportation – raised $60,140 toward new accessible transportation.
- 2022: Mental Heath Resources – raised $78,510 toward mental health resources for those receiving services.
- 2021: Family Support Services – raised $28,825 for the newly reinstated Family Support Services program.
The 2026 Fund the Need for monarc, LLC
For years, people with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities (IDD) and neurodiverse people have had to squeeze into mental health systems that weren’t designed with them in mind. Traditional therapy often assumes typical communication styles, sensory processing, and life experiences. When someone shows up differently, they’re often misunderstood or misdiagnosed. It is a systemic problem.
The reality is stark: 35–40% of people with disabilities live with psychiatric disorders, they are three times more likely to face hospitalization, justice-system involvement, suicidal ideation, and family or caregiver strain, and adults with disabilities are 3.5 times more likely to experience frequent mental distress. Yet finding providers who truly understand how to support them can feel nearly impossible. Families end up exhausted, discouraged, and sometimes forced to go without care altogether.
This is the gap monarc, LLC was created to fill by The Arc NCR, as an affiliate of The Arc NCR, and with your financial help this new organization will be able to become established in our community to meet this critical gap in mental health services. Visit our website for monarc, LLC which just launched on February 2nd, www.monarcmd.org.
Click the drop-down section below to contribute to this year’s Fund the Need campaign for monarc, LLC.
Amount | Examples of the impact that can be made |
$5,000 | Funds summer internship for two people with disabilities to gain job experience. |
$2,500 | Helps to meet the needs of the underserved by expanding service reach. |
$1,500 | Funding essential training equipment like ServSafe culinary and hospitality toolkits. |
$1,000 | Provides one week of tailored job training for workforce entry. |
$500 | Funds skill development and certification courses. |
$250 | Provides adaptive tools for job success and marketability. |
$100 | Offers coaching and transportation for a job interview. |
$50 | Funds resume printing, business cards, or work attire for one job seeker. |
A Look Back at 20 Years of The Arc NCR’s After d’Arc Gala
This milestone year for The Arc NCR’s largest annual fundraiser is a great time to reflect back on all that has gone into building the event to what it is today, and all that the event has accomplished for the mission of this organization. The image to the right is the first design to promote the event and kick it off back in 2005. Read the section below to learn about our After d’Arc Gala.
For The Arc NCR, and similar service providers, it is important to know that services are not fully funded. Approximately 90% of the calculated rates are funded by the State, leaving organizations like ours to fund the remaining 10%. For perspective, The Arc NCR is a $27 Million/year organization as of FY24. Additionally, providers, such as The Arc NCR, are prohibited from passing on costs to people receiving services. Together, this places a great deal of pressure on the Development team of The Arc NCR to raise money through fundraising, grants and planned giving to ensure the funding gap is filled. Here is where the After d’Arc Gala was born.
The first meeting for After d’Arc took place on November 3, 2005. In attendance were Pat Castoro, Jan Haddy, (co-chairs), Torri Dietrich, Connie Donato, Toy Hanlon, Sharon Flynn, Anna Lambdin, Cindy Lindgren, Jen McGann, Kathy O’Hara, Bev Olsen, Elaine Orbino, Rhonda Ruigrok, Celeste Wilhelm, Kenny Spicer, Marcy Veit.
That first committee for the gala is pictured to the left, and they set into motion many of the staples which the gala has come to be known for – including our large silent auction.
After the success of the first After d’Arc Gala, the event quickly established itself as The Arc NCR’s largest annual fundraiser. One of the creative challenges with an annual event is making sure it is new and exciting each year. Take a look at some of the different themes we’ve had over 20 years in the drop-down section below.
From 2006 – 2011, After d’Arc featured Celebrity Chef’s to draw in a crowd, introducing themed rooms and segments such as the recurring Derby theme. Celebrities included Barry Glassman, Mary Chance, William Cox, David Craig, Jamie Costello, Toni Linhardt, and Bob Turk among many others. Click here to see photos from the 2011 event.
In 2012, Julie Chmura became Director of Development for The Arc NCR, and After d’Arc took the celebrity theme to a new level with Hollywood and paparazzi. Click here to see the event photos.
In 2013, the theme took attendees “Back to the 50s,” which was a play on celebrating the founding of The Arc NCR in 1953. This was The Arc NCR’s 60th anniversary. Click here to see the event photos.
2014 introduced a more diverse experience with an Asian-Fusion theme to integrate culture into the festivities. Click here to see the event photos.
2015 went to the wild west, celebrating “Legends of the Past” and “Pioneers of the Present.” Click here for the event photos.
And, as a new way to get people excited about the event and theme, President and CEO, Shawn Kros met with Title Sponsor, Absolute Investigative Services at Chesapeake Therapeutic Riding Center (a partner of The Arc NCR) to film a little teaser video: Click here to watch the video.
2016 took attendees to a bright and vibrant Bollywood Ball, engaging attendees in new experiences such as learning a quick Bollywood dance step. Click here for the event photos.
2017 dove into the fairytale theme of Making Dreams Come True. This was the first gala for Sara Garbarino, the new Director of the Development team. Click here for the event photos.
Also, the event teaser video made a return. Click here for the event teaser video of 2017 which features Neill Christopher, who had recently participated with The Arc NCR in a video production highlighting the employment partnership of Acadia Windows and Doors. Watch Acadia’s Story by clicking here.
2018 marked The Arc NCR’s 65th anniversary year. The anniversary year, also happened to be the same anniversary for James Bond, which was the theme — 007: A License to Give. Click here for the event photos.
2019 took attendees under the sea at Maryland Golf and Country Clubs for the theme of “Seas the Day.” Click here for the event photos.
2020 got a little wild with the now well-known COVID-19 Pandemic. It started out like a “normal” year, with a successful pre-event for our “Let’s Get Wild” theme, and a creative teaser trailer for the event. Click here to watch the video teaser.
Little did we know how wild this year would get. Our theme was spot on. As most will remember, March of 2020 came and everything shut down. The Gala was initially postponed and then pivoted to become a virtual event. Going virtual with the After d’Arc Gala was a wild journey in and of itself, but to keep things light in an uncertain time, we made the following video. Click here to watch our virtual gala announcement video.
Due to the ongoing effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2021 Gala was shifted to take place in 2022 with the theme of Rio Carnival. Click here to see the event photos.
2023, The Arc NCR’s 70th anniversary year, featured an After d’Arc Gala which let attendees travel the world with our “Passport to Paradise” theme. Each room of Maryland Golf and Country Clubs featured a different destination, including Paris, Venice, Iceland, the Caribbean and Vegas. Click here for the event photos.
And, our most recent After d’Arc Gala of 2024 returned to the early days of the event with a Derby theme, taking attendees “Off to the Races.” Click here for the event photos.
A key highlight of the After d’Arc Gala that quickly became an annual tradition is the Fund the Need Campaign, held during the main program. Given the size and diversity of The Arc NCR, general fundraising efforts can sometimes feel too broad. Instead, this campaign has been more successful by focusing on a specific area of need each year. In 2014, videos were introduced to give the audience a deeper understanding of the chosen cause and its impact. In total, $435,150 has been raised through The Arc NCR’s Fund the Need Campaigns. Click below to explore past campaigns and the areas they focused on.
2013: Funding for Dental Services
This was The Arc NCR’s first Fund the Need. At the time, many of the people receiving services from The Arc NCR did not have dental insurance and were in need of important dental care. See the event photo with the first Fund the Need poster to help draw event attendees’ attention to this need. This 2013 campaign raised $10,340 toward dental care for people receiving services.
2023: Funding for Accessible Transportation
In order to meet the needs of people receiving services from The Arc NCR, accessibility is often key. In 2023, with a fleet of 54 vehicles, The Arc NCR was in need of accessible transportation. Watch our “Accessible Transportation” video to learn more. This 2023 campaign raised $60,140 toward new accessible transportation for The Arc NCR.
2024: Funding for a New Community Living Home
With a growing need in our community, over 10 people were on a waitlist for Community Living services in 2024. Watch our video for “A New Community Living Home” to learn more. This 2024 Campaign raised $122,000 toward purchasing a new home for The Arc NCR’s Community Living program.
We hope to see you for this 20th Anniversary of the After d’Arc Gala on May 9th. Thank you to all who have contributed time and money to make this event the success that it is has been each and every year, and especially for the difference that it has made for the organization in being able to continue its mission: empowering people with differing abilities to live, work and thrive in the community.
