The Arc of Loudoun

16/08/2025

🚨News: The Arc of Loudoun Inks a Lease to Relocate Aurora School to The National Conference Center; Files Suit to Protect Students Following Unlawful Lockout

August 15, 2025 — Today, The Arc of Loudoun shares two important updates:

First, with deep gratitude and great relief, we announce that the Aurora School will relocate to The National Conference Center (NCC) in Leesburg.

While this is likely not our long-term home, it allows our students to learn together once again under one roof, alongside the rest of our programs, in a safe and supportive setting.

We are indebted to NCC’s owners and staff for stepping forward to expand our partnership in this time of need!

Second, we filed a lawsuit in Loudoun County Circuit Court today against the Margaret Paxton Memorial for Convalescent Children and its trustees.

The Complaint details, among other things:
- how the trust has violated the requirements of the real property tax exemption;
- that it barred The Arc from the campus without serving a Notice to Quit or other notice;
- and that it is unlawfully preventing students with disabilities from attending class,..all of which may cause irreparable harm to The Arc of Loudoun and its students.

The Complaint further asks the Court to issue a temporary restraining order and preliminary and ongoing injunctions forbidding all of the defendants from barring The Arc’s access to the Paxton Campus.

Aurora School will remain closed to students through August 20th while the restraining order and injunctions are processed, staff can get into our buildings, techs can restore our IT network, our facilities’ team can methodically check every Arc space on campus for damage or missing assets, and to allow time for us to prepare the welcome back to campus that our students deserve.

We’ll also continue preparing for our move to our new space at NCC with the goal of relocating as quickly as we can.

We’re working closely with our partners at the Virginia Department of Education to ensure a smooth transition for all of our students, staff, and school systems.

To our community, please know this: The Arc of Loudoun is strong, our mission is unwavering, and we will not be deterred from doing what is right for the children and families we serve every time, all the time.

We are profoundly grateful to our partners, neighbors, and friends who have stood with us through this summer of uncertainty.

While there is a strong, sure path forward, we still need the community to rally around our students and families.

We invite you to:

1. Share this message to spread awareness. Contact your elected officials and ask them to stand with The Arc of Loudoun.

2. Collect packing supplies: Please begin collecting new or gently used moving boxes, packing tape, bubble wrap, and markers. Please do not bring these items to Paxton Campus or to The National Conference Center just yet. We will share updates soon about when and where you can deliver them.

3. Volunteer: If you are willing to lend your time and energy once the dates for the move are finalized, please email info@thearcofloudoun.org so we can reach out when help is needed.

4. Donate: Community support has always sustained The Arc of Loudoun. Your financial generosity today will help safeguard our programs and ensure a future for the families we serve. Please donate: https://arcofloudoun-bloom.kindful.com/?campaign=1286583

Your support fuels our mission and reinforces these truths: that our students and staff belong in their classrooms, that our clients and families deserve the very best services and support, and that The Arc of Loudoun will do whatever it takes to bring about a just, equitable world for people with disabilities.

With gratitude,

Lisa Max
CEO, The Arc of Loudoun

13/08/2025

To The Arc’s staff, students, families, clients, donors, partners, and supporters:

Yesterday, we submitted a revised proposal to the Trust to secure use of part of the Paxton campus for the 2025–26 school year but have not yet received a response from them. We know you’re all as anxious as we are to confirm our return to school as planned on Monday morning, August 18th, and we are working feverishly to achieve that goal. The Arc’s leadership is assertively working toward our goal of ensuring full continuity of services for our staff, students, and families.

We will let you know as soon as we receive a response from the Trust.

In the meantime, we are working to ensure that our corporate data and students’ and clients’ records are protected. This weekend, without warning, the trustees changed door locks on campus buildings, chained the gates, and hired 24x7 guards to bar The Arc from the property. Our network has been down since Sunday, and our requests to allow IT technicians to have escorted access to the equipment to troubleshoot and restore service has not been granted. With the network down, our VoIP phone system doesn’t work. Luckily, Georgia Graves of Bridgman Communications came to our aid by rerouting our calls through their network so we can again receive calls and access voicemail. Thank you, Georgia! You are truly an Arc Angel!

I’d appreciate another moment of your time, please, to correct the record on the terms of The Arc’s lease with the Paxton Trust, as it has become a sticking point in the public discussion. The Arc’s 2008, 20-year, triple-net lease never required rent payments, but “no rent” does not mean “no cost”. The Arc has invested millions of dollars in leasehold improvements and spends hundreds of thousands of dollars annually to maintain the campus.

Over the past several years, we have repeatedly offered to pay rent or purchase the property outright to ensure the stability of service for our staff and the thousands of people that we’re honored to serve. Each time, those offers have been ignored or declined.

If paying rent were the issue, The Arc would never find itself in this situation.

We will continue to keep you updated. Thank you for your patience, your advocacy, and your belief in The Arc’s mission during this challenging time.

With gratitude,
Lisa Max
CEO, The Arc of Loudoun

13/08/2025

💚 A heartfelt thank you to everyone who participated in the Giant Food Community Bag Program event at the Giant Food store on 635 Potomac Station Drive in Leesburg!

For every $2.75 reusable bag purchased, The Arc of Loudoun received $1 to support our programs and services.

We could not do what we do without your support. Thank you for making a difference!

10/08/2025

Alert 🚨 New Information about Paxton Campus

On Saturday afternoon, the Paxton trustees (Melinda Hetzel Hartman, Paige Buscema, and Mary Louise Leipheimer, along with their advisor, Peter Burnett) had their attorney, Jay Chadwick, dispatch a security service and a locksmith to campus with instructions to change all exterior door locks and padlock the front and back gates. We were informed of the activity on campus by neighbors who witnessed the action.

At 5:53 on Saturday evening – well after locks were changed and gates padlocked shut – Mr. Chadwick sent an email to some of The Arc’s Board members informing them that the trustees were ending The Arc’s tenancy on campus effective immediately and without notice. We were told by the security personnel that nothing was removed from any of the buildings, but we remain very concerned about the trustees having unmonitored access to employee, financial, student, and medical files.

In the trustees’ public letter to The Arc’s parents and families on June 20, 2025, they stated: “The Arc will be required to relocate its programs from the Paxton Campus before the next school year starts this fall.” The sudden lockout on August 9th is not only a breach of basic decency—it is a contradiction of their own publicly-stated timeline, further eroding trust and inflicting unnecessary harm on our students, families, and staff.

As you know, The Arc was forced to close Open Door Learning Center preschool and Aurora Behavior Clinic in order to vacate some of the buildings on campus. We bid farewell to our ODLC and ABC students, clients, families, and staff yesterday, Friday, August 8th. We relocated Ability Fitness Center to The National Conference Center last week. The trustees can do no further harm to our preschool, clinic, and fitness center clients, families, and staff.

As we’ve repeatedly shared, zoning, special exceptions, and Virginia Department of Education regulations make finding a new home for the Aurora School extremely challenging, especially given the lack of available real estate in Loudoun. As we’ve reported to the trustees’ attorney each week, we aggressively pursue alternate locations to house the Aurora School while – per the trustees’ requirements – we consolidate school operations to one corner of the campus, making today’s unconscionable action utterly unjustifiable.

Aurora School is closed for August Break next week (8/11 – 8/15) and our legal team will file to stay the trustees’ hands first thing Monday morning. Our intent is to welcome our students and staff back to campus after break on August 18th. We are also working with The National Conference Center to create temporary space for the school as quickly as possible until we can secure a permanent, safe home for all of The Arc’s programs to reunite and thrive.

We’ll send updates and additional information as they’re available.

The Arc of Loudoun was started in 1967 by parents who created the services and support their children needed. Their tenacity and determination are exceeded only by today’s Arc Family.

We are enormously grateful to all of you for standing by us, advocating for us, and adding your indignation to ours. With your continued assistance and support, The Arc of Loudoun will emerge stronger than ever and endure for generations to come.

- The Arc of Loudoun CEO Lisa E. Max

07/08/2025

✨ The Arc of Loudoun in the community ✨

Thank you to everyone who stopped by our booth at Leesburg’s National Night Out on August 5! 👋💙

Did you know The Arc of Loudoun is a proud partner in Loudoun County’s Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) program?

The CIT program trains public safety professionals on how to respond to individuals in mental health crises or with intellectual and development disabilities.

Together, we're building a safer, more informed community, one that prioritizes de-escalation, trauma-informed care, and respectful communication.

06/08/2025

🎉 We’ve been nominated… and your vote could help us win $1,500! 🎉

The Arc of Loudoun is in the running for the Sweeping Change Fund, a quarterly giving program from You've Got Maids of Northern Virginia that supports nonprofits making a difference in Loudoun and Fairfax counties.

💥 Here’s how you can help:
🗳 Vote daily (one vote per email)
🔗 Vote here: https://app.surveyed.live/?surveyCode=PLSSG5DU

📅 Voting ends soon so don’t wait!

Let’s rally together and sweep 🧹 this win for inclusion, empowerment, and the people we serve. 💪💚

04/08/2025

🎉 We’ve officially moved! 🚛💪

Ability Fitness Center is now settled into our new, expanded home at The National Conference Center
(📍18665 Conference Center Drive, Leesburg, VA) and we’re all set to welcome clients starting Monday, August 4!

We can’t wait for you to experience the bigger space, more equipment, and enhanced support for your journey to strength, wellness, and independence.

Thank you for your patience, we’re ready and excited to see you soon!

01/08/2025

🚛 We’re on the move! 🚛

Ability Fitness Center is closed today, August 1, as we make the big move to our new, expanded location at The National Conference Center:
📍 18665 Conference Center Drive, Leesburg, VA

We’ll reopen our doors Monday, August 4—ready to serve you with more space, more equipment, and more ways to support your journey to strength and independence! 💪✨

Thanks for your patience—we can’t wait to welcome you to our new home!

30/07/2025

🚨 Big Move Alert! 🚨

Ability Fitness Center is on the move! 🏃‍♂️📦

We’ll be closed Friday, August 1 as we officially transition to our new, larger home at The National Conference Center
📍 18665 Conference Center Drive, Leesburg, VA

We can’t wait to welcome you back Monday, August 4 in our new space, where we’ll have more room, more resources, and more opportunities to support our amazing community! 💪🎉

Thank you for your patience during the move—and get ready for what’s next!

28/07/2025

🚨 We’re Hiring! Physical Therapy Tech – No Experience Needed! 🚨

Are you energetic, reliable, and love helping people? 💚 Ability Fitness Center is looking for a full-time Physical Therapy Technician to join our incredible team in Lansdowne, VA!

This is your chance to break into the healthcare or fitness field—no experience required —we’ll provide the training!

✨ What You’ll Do:
✔️ Assist patients during therapy sessions
✔️ Support licensed PTs
✔️ Keep the clinic clean & positive
✔️ Be a friendly, motivating presence for our clients!

🕒 M–F Schedule | 📍 Located at The National Conference Center
💼 Full benefits | 📈 Growth & learning opportunities

Sound like you? Let’s move forward together. 🏃
📩 Send your resume to HR@thearcofloudoun.org
Put the job title in the subject line

🔗 Learn more at: thearcofloudoun.org/work-with-us

27/07/2025

Individualized education and personalized support means each child with autism gets exactly what they need to thrive.

Autism is now being recognized as more than a single condition, thanks to a groundbreaking study that has identified four unique subtypes within the autism spectrum. Researchers from Princeton University and the Simons Foundation analyzed data from more than 5,000 children in the SPARK autism cohort, using an advanced, person-centered model that grouped individuals by shared developmental, behavioral, and medical characteristics. The result? Four clear categories Social and Behavioral Challenges, Mixed ASD with Developmental Delay, Moderate Challenges, and Broadly Affected each with its own clinical patterns and genetic underpinnings.

This revelation marks a fundamental shift in our understanding of autism. What was once considered a single diagnosis is now recognized as a cluster of separate biological entities, each requiring tailored attention and strategies. The study also highlighted how genetic disruptions manifest at different stages of childhood development some presenting early, others emerging later underscoring the importance of developmental timing in diagnosis and care. This level of nuance means families and clinicians can move toward far more personalized developmental monitoring and interventions.

By reshaping how we define and study autism, these findings pave the way for precision medicine in neurodevelopmental disorders. With a deeper grasp of each subtype’s genetic and clinical profile, researchers and caregivers can craft more effective support plans and targeted therapies, giving every individual the opportunity to thrive according to their unique needs.

Credits/Sources: Study published in Nature Genetics, “Decomposition of phenotypic heterogeneity in autism reveals underlying genetic programs,” 9 July 2025, by Aviya Litman et al.

26/07/2025

💙✨ Today we celebrate National Disability Independence Day! ✨💙

July 26 marks the anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)—a landmark civil rights law signed in 1990 that has helped break down barriers and open doors for millions of people with disabilities across the country.

The ADA ensures equal access to employment, public services, communication, and more—paving the way for a world where everyone, of every ability, can participate fully and freely.

We are especially grateful to the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors for their continued commitment to ADA compliance, accessibility, and fostering a community that values diversity, equity, and inclusion. Their recognition of July 26 as Americans with Disabilities Act Awareness Day is a powerful reminder of the progress we’ve made and the work that still lies ahead.

At The Arc of Loudoun, we believe that true independence comes when communities unite to create environments where everyone belongs. 💪

Today, we celebrate the strides we’ve taken and recommit to the journey ahead. Together, we can build a world that is more inclusive, accessible, and just for all. 💫

Chair Phyllis J. Randall Mike Turner - Ashburn Supervisor Matthew Letourneau Supervisor Juli Briskman Supervisor Laura A. TeKrony , Supervisor Sylvia R. Glass Supervisor Caleb Kershner Kristen C Umstattd Supervisor Koran Saines