The Season of Giving: Applied Composites Brings Early Christmas Joy

By Morgan Andreanopoulos, Marketing Coordinator

Connections matter.

We all have moments when one opportunity joins with another. As a result, what we do with those moments makes an impact. Our choices can lead to greater effects on the people and environments around us.

Sara Sparks saw a chance to start an important connection between Cornerstone Autism Center and her company, Applied Composites.

Sparks is a member of a life group at Greenwood Christian Church. She served as a volunteer at Cornerstone several times. During these visits, she said she noticed some toys, puzzles and books were “overly loved.” It was clear which items were the kids’ favorites.

The Leading Ladies of Applied decide to make a difference.

As the Financial Controller at Applied Composites, Sparks saw a chance for her company to give back to the children at Cornerstone. Leading Ladies of Applied (LLA) sponsored a toy donation drive this fall.

Applied Composites formed this womens’ empowerment group in May 2021. Then, Sparks become one of the founding members. The Leading Ladies represent a diverse array of careers and backgrounds. LLA’s mission is to catapult female empowerment, growth, and development throughout the aerospace industry. Their purpose is to celebrate, develop, grow and retain the women of Applied Composites through intrapersonal and career success.

“Participation exceeded all expectations,” Sparks stated. “Our California sites shipped their donations to us in Indianapolis. We received hundreds of donations. Items ranged from books to puzzles to toys and art supplies.”

Cornerstone Autism Center is thankful!

Upon seeing the boxes of items pouring into the center, Regional Center Manager Rachelle Vaughn felt overwhelmed by their generosity.

“I’m not sure we’ve ever received such a large donation to use at all of our locations,” said Vaughn. “It has been rewarding to work with Sara and get to see each item. I know it’s going to a center to become someone’s new favorite reinforcement item!”

Subsequently, Sparks is proud of the employees, LLA and the amazing contributions.

“I anticipated maybe a box of donations per site, but each site contributed several boxes to the drive,” Sparks said. “I love knowing that our donations from our five sites will be spread out between Cornerstone’s five locations! Many Cornerstone clients will benefit from our donation. It is heartwarming that we are able to make a lasting impact on those affected directly by autism.”

During the next few weeks, Vaughn will be determining which items will be delivered to which locations. In addition, she plans to work with the other center managers to update their toy inventory with the fantastic contributions from Applied Composites!

Check out more information about Applied Composites:

Applied Composites is a leading provider of complex composite components, assemblies, engineering, and tooling to the aerospace, defense, and space systems markets. Vertically integrated with five strategic locations, they have widespread capabilities to serve expanding industry needs in many high-growth aerospace and defense platforms.

Also, Applied Composites is comprised of five sites located in Indianapolis (IN), Lake Forest (CA), Brea (CA), San Diego (CA), and Los Alamitos (CA). They have over 780 employees collectively from all our sites.

In conclusion, you can more on their website here: https://www.appliedcomposites.com

Last updated by Morgan McClellan at November 23, 2021.