06/03/2026
We couldn't have felt more supported or thrilled by the way Lynchburg showed up for our birthday party on Saturday—and by the way this community has shown up for us over the past ten years.
Your support tells us that our community believes Lynchburg is better for having a place like Vector Space. That support was evident everywhere we looked: in the countless hours of crafting that went into the auction items, in the incredible homemade birthday cakes, in the donations from some of our city's best and brightest businesses, in the kind words shared by our partner Peter Sheldon of Randolph College, and in the attendance of University of Lynchburg leadership and faculty.
The event was led by our Executive Director—the "Executive Director of Adam's Idea." She is the industrial-strength adhesive that gracefully holds together every partnership, meeting, committee, and event that makes this wonderfully comprehensive makerspace dream possible: Elise Spontarelli. During her address to the community, Elise recognized several outstanding friends of the makerspace:
🏆 Des Black — Service Award
Whatever the need, Des is there to help. Without being asked, he has the valuable skill of seeing what needs to be done and the competence and willingness to step in and do it. Volunteer, teacher, donor, advisor—Des fills all of these roles with generosity and dedication.
🏆 Tim Garnier — Member of the Year
Presented not only for the sheer number of times Tim has been named Maker of the Month, but for the qualities he exemplifies every day at the makerspace: a willingness to help fellow makers, enthusiasm for group projects, competence across many disciplines, kindness, service to the space, and a cheerful disposition even during the most aggravating projects.
🏆 Peter Sheldon — Partnership Award
With us since the beginning, Peter is our "yes" person. He has served on our committee since the beginning, helps make Maker Faire happen every year, joins us in supporting robotics, and regularly creates opportunities for partnership with Randolph College.
🏆 Adam Spontarelli — Founder's Award
Presented to Adam for loving a difficult problem, for being "wary of comfort, as it often signals the end of progress," and for being the boots on the ground, the driving force, and the groundbreaker behind Lynchburg's makerspace.
The celebration wouldn't have been complete without the tear-jerking, laughter-inducing speech and slideshow that Adam put together. While there is no way to fully capture the countless lives touched and projects built under the care of our makerspace, his presentation came as close as anyone possibly could. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4JN8PrECNaE
Thank you, Lynchburg, for ten incredible years. Here's to the next ten! Stay tuned to see how we grow!
