The 2024 Arc Gala

A Letter from Our Chairs

We are the Barnes family – Melanie, Chris and Noah (plus one goofy Great Dane, Duke).

We have been supporters of The Arc Minnesota for many years. We would have never imagined just how important The Arc Minnesota would become to us. We received a prenatal diagnosis of Down Syndrome in March, 2022, for our son, Noah. We were actually waiting for these results as we sat at our table at the Gala that year. We walked into that room feeling a bit alone and nervous but left feeling like we had won the lottery, no matter what the results ended up being. Noah was born in August, 2022, and we couldn’t dream of a better life. He is the highlight of each day.

With Noah’s diagnosis came a lot of questions both about his health and development and for his future. We have found answers in The Arc Minnesota; security, assurance and celebration of the amazing things that our future and Noah’s future will hold.

We are especially excited about this year’s Fund – A – Need: Housing Services. Accessible and affordable housing is something we hold near and dear. Chris and I have already started to plan for Noah’s future so that he live his best life. We know that by taking action to increase accessibility to housing for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, we can do something now to invest in Noah’s future and the future of those in the IDD community.

Your participation truly does make a difference. The Arc Minnesota will continue the work to change policies to make housing a reality for more people with disabilities. We hope you will consider joining us at the 2024 Arc Minnesota Gala and make a donation to support us in these efforts.

Thank you for your consideration,

Melanie, Chris and Noah Barnes