Gainsville, VA – A luncheon was held to celebrate Didlake’s CEO Rex Parr’s first 25 years of leadership. It was held on Thursday, September 25 at the Heritage Hunt Golf and Country Club in Gainesville, VA. Hosted by The Didlake Foundation, the event featured remarks by State Senator Charles Colgan and the launch of a program for the long-term care of people with disabilities. A fund was established in Mr. Parr’s honor to support the development of this program. Mr. Parr was presented with framed copies of Commendations and Resolutions honoring his contributions by Senator Colgan, Chairman of the Board of Prince William County Supervisors, Sean Connaughton, and Mayor of the City of Manassas, Dr. Marvin Gillum.
Mr. Parr began his career with Didlake –  a Manassas-based non-profit corporation that provides employment and rehabilitative services for people with disabilities – in 1977. Since then, the company has grown at an annual rate of twenty percent. Senator Colgan remarked, “Rex’s leadership, at Didlake and as an active member of the business community, has helped thousands of people with disabilities gain access to opportunities that enrich their lives and add value to our community. The new fund created in his honor will further this mission by addressing the critical need to provide long term care services for many of these same individuals. I can’t think of a more appropriate way to honor a man whose entire career has been dedicated to creating exactly these kinds of opportunities that ultimately benefit us all.”
The fund honoring Mr. Parr will be operated by The Didlake Foundation, which was created to encourage philanthropic participation in programs that support the Didlake mission. It will provide funds for the Personal Support Network – a program to help families plan for the future of a loved one with a disability and assist in the implementation of those plans.
The event was a success and exceeded its goal of raising $50,000 in support of the fund. Corporate supporters include FCE, Prince William Health System, and Unisource. Significant individual gifts were made by Mr. Roger Costello, Mr. and Mrs. H. S. Meade Gwinn, Mr. and Mrs. Kevin Ryan, and Mr. and Mrs. Michael Schwartz.
Contact:
Betty Dean
bdean@didlake.com