On summer days at Franconia Park, children sprint through fountains at Our Special Harbor spray park while parents sit in the shade nearby. Some kids use wheelchairs. Some don’t. It’s a joyful mix of children, and the seamless mix is exactly the point.
What many visitors don’t realize is that the Alexandria park, now a beloved Northern Virginia destination — with more than a million visitors since opening in 2011 — exists because of one Alexandria family’s brave decision to turn grief into something that would make a tangible difference.
Water Time
Water has always been central to Bob and Paola Pizzano. The owners of Pizzano Contractors, a 67-year-old family-owned general contracting company, frequently took their eight children on Chesapeake Bay fishing trips.
Sadly, water was also the setting for the tragedy that changed everything.
In 1998, their son Joey, who had intellectual disabilities and a seizure disorder, drowned at age 6. The community rallied around the Pizzanos, asking how they could help. Donations arrived. Support poured in.
Bob and Paola faced a question: What do we do with this? Their answer became the Joey Pizzano Memorial Fund. It’s had an impact that has grown far beyond what they first imagined.
Teaching Safety, Then Discovering Something Bigger
The foundation’s first goal was simple: prevent another family from experiencing the nightmare they had lived through. They created the SPLASH program, teaching basic water safety skills to children with disabilities through partnerships with Fairfax County therapeutic recreation programs. Based on five water safety rules developed for individuals with disabilities, the program helps kids be safe and have fun in and around the water.
“Very simple things,” says Will Pizzano, one of Joey’s siblings. “Putting your feet down. Blowing bubbles. Staying with a buddy. Just enough to make the water safer.”
But parents began telling the Pizzanos something else. Because their children had learned these water skills, families could now go to pools and community centers together without fear. Outings that once felt overwhelming became possible. Public life opened up.
The Pizzanos started thinking: What if there were a place designed from the ground up for everyone?
A Place Where Everyone Belongs
That idea became Our Special Harbor. The 7,000-square-foot, zero-depth, fully ADA-accessible spray park was inspired by the family’s Chesapeake Bay memories. The Pizzanos worked with Fairfax County leaders to ensure free admission, in perpetuity.
The result is not just a spray park, but an inclusive playground with accessible treehouses, trails, picnic areas, and play spaces. It’s a place where children of all abilities play side by side without realizing anything extraordinary is happening.
What Happens After Age 22?
As the foundation grew, so did the Pizzanos’ understanding of another gap. Children with disabilities can remain in public school programs until age 22. After that, many lose daily social interaction, structure, and recreation. Parents told the Pizzanos how difficult it was to maintain friendships and meaningful activities.
So the family created JOY Galas; prom-style celebrations complete with red carpets, volunteer “paparazzi,” photo booths and dance floors.
“The whole red-carpet experience — walking down, being celebrated — is about recognizing that everyone here is a celebrity,” says Christina Pizzano.
What began as annual galas has grown into seasonal dances and gatherings. Think Valentine’s Day parties, harvest festivals and swim parties, each giving adults with disabilities something to anticipate and a reason to come together year-round.
Meaningful Work — and Real Paychecks
The Pizzanos saw another challenge when brothers Tom and Matt, who have intellectual disabilities, found jobs at a bakery making dog treats. Even with strong family advocacy, arranging transportation, supervision and consistent support proved difficult. That realization led to the BEST (Building Employment Skills Together) program in Old Town Alexandria.
At a retail space on Prince Street, disabled adults make crafts, candles, dog treats, and jewelry sold to the public, with all proceeds going directly to the makers. The program partners with ServiceSource and is now being explored as a model that could be replicated nationwide.
“We think what we’ve created is really impactful, really special,” Will says. “It’s solving a need in the community.”
Today, the Joey Pizzano Memorial Fund supports other nonprofits and continues to grow. The siblings volunteer at dances. Their parents still lead the charge. The work evolves as new needs become clear.
For the Pizzanos, the goal has consistently been to build a community where people with disabilities have somewhere to belong, something meaningful to do, and people to share life with.
“We’ve always been about wanting them to get out into the community and wanting them to be with their friends and meet new people,” says Christina. “The whole community integration aspect is a constant theme in every single program.”
Feature image courtesy Pizzano Family
