Celebrating the 20th anniversary of The Arc NCR’s After d’Arc Gala, our 2025 theme is:
The Roaring 20s
May 9, 2025 | 7:00 — 11:00 P.M. | Water’s Edge Events Center
4687 Millennium Dr, Belcamp, MD 21017
Click to open the ticket order form.
Learn about our sponsorship opportunities.
Click to see the sponsors of our 2024 After d’Arc Gala.
Three grand prizes from Saxon’s Diamond Centers
Party like Gatsby!
Purchase your tickets or become a sponsor for the event today.
Click here to download our Sponsorship Packet.
Plan on celebrating this milestone event with us in “speakeasy” fashion on May 9, 2025.
Title Sponsor, Bravura Information Technology Systems, Inc.
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 19th Annual After d’Arc Gala was a great success. Our net profit was $245,000. 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.
Attire
For those who love a little themed flair, you’re welcome (but not required) to embrace the Roaring ‘20s with vintage glam—think flapper dresses, feathered accessories, and dapper pinstripes!
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.
Fund the Need for Employment Services
Click the drop-down section below to contribute to this year’s Fund the Need campaign for Employment Services, and view the following section with videos and information on the service itself, as well as the specific financial needs we are seeking to address through fundraising. Thank you for your support.
The value of employment, like many things, is not fully appreciated until it is gone. For people with differing abilities, unemployment is a persistent challenge.
In 2023, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, stated only 22.5% of people with disabilities were employed, compared to 65.8% of those without disabilities (BLS).
The Arc NCR’s Employment Services team supports 350+ people with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities to learn critical workforce skills and find meaningful work. Barriers like skills gaps, transportation, and employer hesitancy make securing jobs even harder—but you can help. Click to read more.
Due to changes in Maryland’s funding, service revenue dropped 40% in 2024, leaving Employment Services critically underfunded. Despite this, we are working hard to adapt:
- Restructured operations to manage financial constraints.
- Launched “Community Development” training with 8+ customized courses for job readiness.
- Expanded into Water’s Edge, creating dedicated spaces for pre-employment training and business partnerships.
Employment Services has a comprehensive set of program offerings to meet people with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities wherever they are, and even provides wrap-around supports to ensure the highest probability of success. Below is a current list of programing and support:
- Discovery – Assessing skills and interests to elevate workforce potential.
- Career Exploration – Gaining transferrable and marketable skills through work experience.
- Community Development – Curriculum based pre-employment training to equip people for success in specific careers.
- Job Development – Finding jobs that match a person’s skills and interests with local workplace needs.
- Employment Coaching – Supporting people to train and maintain employment.
- Wraparound Supports:
- Benefits Counseling
- Soft skills development (communication)
- Transportation assistance
- Clinical support for behavioral health and emotional well-being Community and family engagement
This is where you come in. Employment Services needs your support. In the list below, you will see that every dollar counts as we provide examples of the impact that your contribution can make.
Amount | Examples of the impact that can be made |
$5,000 | Funds two people through a summer internship program designed for people with disabilities to gain on-the-job experience before entering the workforce. |
$2,500 | Help to expand services into underserved areas of Harford and Cecil Counties, building new partnerships to better serve people with severe mental and physical challenges who face the greatest barriers to employment. |
$1,500 | Funding equipment needed for curriculum-based training, such as a ServSafe culinary toolkit for people seeking restaurant work or a hospitality toolkit. |
$1,000 | Will provide one week of intensive and customized job skill training to prepare one person we support for entering the workforce. |
$500 | Purchases enrollment in a skills certification course (e.g., food safety, customer service, or basic computer skills) for at least two people we support. |
$250 | Supplies adaptive tools or technologies for a person to succeed in their job (ex. – screen readers or ergonomic equipment) and become marketable in today’s workforce. |
$100 | Provides 1 hour of job coaching and transportation for two participants to attend a job interview. |
$50 | Covers the cost of printing a professional resume and business cards for one job seeker or provides one participant with appropriate work attire for their first day on the job. |
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.
Another segment of the After d’Arc Gala, which quickly became an annual staple of the event was the Fund the Need Campaign segment which takes place during the main program. General fundraising for an organization as large and diverse as The Arc NCR can tend to be too general, so greater success was found for this event in specifically focusing on one area of need. Videos were implemented in 2014 to show the audience the area of need and to focus on the specifics of it. Click to view the drop-down section below to learn about the Fund the Need Campaigns we’ve had.
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.
