Our Story
Spark! Community Center was born from a simple but powerful observation. John Fenley, a lifelong disability rights advocate from Lebanon, NH, started noticing a pattern among his friends with disabilities. When he asked what they were doing with their days, the answers were similar: a walk around Walmart, watching planes at the airport.
"It felt like everyone's potential is being wasted," John said. "Some of these people haven't explored their hidden talents, or their spark."
John knew that firsthand. Diagnosed with a rare brain tumor at age three, he spent years defining himself by his abilities rather than his limitations. John became the president of UNITE, president of People First of New Hampshire, and a tireless voice at the NH State House for health and human services. But advocacy alone wasn't enough. People needed a place.
In 2014, John partnered with parent-advocate Lisa Green to open Spark! Community Center in Lebanon, NH. Spark! is a one-stop community hub where adults with disabilities could take classes, explore creative interests, build friendships, and simply belong.
Learn more from John and Lisa about John and the creation of the Spark! Community Center:
Our Mission
Spark! Community Center’s mission is to provide a welcoming place where the lives of all people of differing abilities are enriched through a sense of community. Our vision is to be a vibrant center that embraces a diverse integrated community where all participants are inspired to realize their fullest personal potential.
Our Vision & Values
Our vision is to create a safe and welcoming place where adults with special needs, their families and caregivers, and caring members of the Upper Valley community can come together and take part in fun and educational activities. We know that transportation is often a challenge for people with disabilities. Many of them only get one chance in the day to get a ride from friends or family and they have to make it count. This means that instead of accessing multiple activities in the community, they often can only make it to one.
Well, no more! Spark! Community Center aims to solve this issue by offering a variety of on-site amenities. If you cash in that one ride to get to Spark!, you won’t be disappointed. Tired of sitting around at home? Then come to Spark! to play a board game or watch a movie with friends. But be prepared to have your interest “sparked” by some of our awesome classes and programs!
We value:
- Community Stewardship: We are rooted in creating a community environment where all members are welcome. We show up for our broader Upper Valley community.
- Radical Inclusion Everyone deserves a seat at the table. We build programs, spaces, and relationships with that belief at the center.
- Empowerment We don't do things for people, rather we create the conditions for people to discover what they're capable of themselves.
- Everyone has a Spark! Every single person who walks through our doors has a spark worth sharing.