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| Next Meeting |
The next ACCA board meeting will be
Refreshments and fellowship
7:30 p.m.
Meeting
7:45 p.m.
Open to all visitors.
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| Contact Information |
Mailing Address
7200 Columbia Pike
Annandale, VA 22003
Information
703-256-0100
Emergency
Assistance
(Fairfax County)
703-222-0880
Donations
(except furniture)
703-256-0100
Furniture Donations
703-256-9513
Email
accacares@verizon.net
ACCA Website www.accacares.org
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About ACCA
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| Get our 2016 annual report. |
ACCA is a church-related voluntary organization providing day care, financial assistance, food, furniture, and other support to needy families in the Annandale/Bailey's Crossroads area, regardless of religion, race or ethnicity. Except for the Child Development Center, all ACCA services are provided by volunteers.
To learn more about ACCA, visit our website at
www.accacares.org.
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A Successful Rebuilding Workday
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A grateful homeowner surrounded by hardworking volunteers. Photo: Tuan Nguyen. See links below for additional photos.
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This year's Rebuilding Together projects helped two widows of modest means remain in their homes in a safer and more cheerful environment. Each woman had fled Vietnam in the 70's. Some fifty-five volunteers gathered to do extensive repairs and enhance the safety of the two houses in Annandale. Thank you to everyone who volunteered, provided food or supported our work through their donations.
At the first house, volunteers from John Calvin Presbyterian, Providence Presbyterian and Ravensworth Baptist churches, led by Brad Moffett and Laurie Lewis, did extensive work outside. They mowed the lawn, weeded the garden, removed tree stumps, trimmed trees and bushes and cleared debris. They installed a new storm door and repaired a leak in the roof. Inside the home, repairs included plumbing repairs, painting, removal of loose carpeting, and minor repairs. Volunteers were treated to a wonderful lunch provided by a Queen of Apostles team led by Karen Barnoski.
At the second house, volunteers from Annandale United Methodist, St. Barnabas Episcopal, and the Annandale Ward of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints were led by Ken Mittelholtz, Frank Spink and John Clarke. Outside, volunteers rebuilt steps, painted bricks and siding, repaired a shed, and did pruning, mowing and yard clean up. Inside, they installed GFCI outlets and grab bars, painted a room and made minor repairs. A team from Lincolnia Methodist Church, led by Nancy Moy, prepared a tasty lunch, and Betsy Clevenger sent home-baked cookies.
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Letter Carriers Collect Food for ACCA
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Click the image above to see more photos from the letter carriers' food drive. Photo: Isabel Ballivian.
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The Annandale Post Office letter carriers participated in the 25th annual Letter Carriers' Stamp Out Hunger® Food Drive on Saturday, May 13. Postal carriers picked up non-perishable food donations as they made their regular deliveries and gave the food to the ACCA Food Pantry. The mail carriers and nineteen volunteers helped to transfer the food from the mail trucks to the Furniture Ministry trucks, and then to deliver and unload the food at the ACCA Pantry. The drive collected more than four tons of food. We thank all the letter carriers, volunteers from the churches for their efforts and the postal patrons for their donations.
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CDC News
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Popular children's book characters greeted families at the CDC's Family Day. Click the photo above to see more images.
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The ACCA Child Development Center held its annual Family Day on May 20. The event featured music, dancing, raffles, workshops and other activities as well as information on the Center's programs for infants, toddlers and pre-schoolers.
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Teamwork - building the new CDC shed. Click the image for more photos.
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The Center is very grateful for the support it received from sponsors and parents who have devoted their time to renovating our playground. They have been laying sod and grass seed, cleaning toys, and demolishing and building a new shed. We would not have been able to do this without the help and donations received from DeDios Lawn Care and DMV Contracting.
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Jenny Chambi delivered a moving message about the ACCA CDC to the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors.
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Jenny Chambi, intake specialist at the Center, gave very moving testimony to the County Board of Supervisors about the importance of the Center in her life. You can see her testimony by clicking the image above.
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ACCA Ministries Update
The Food Pantry
assisted 217 individuals in April through 65 deliveries made by ACCA volunteers.
Family Emergency Assistance
provided a total of $14,281 in financial assistance to 22 households in April. This support helped families with young children and individuals with payments for rent, utilities and other assistance. ACCA helped a recently widowed mother of three school-aged children with rent assistance. ACCA also funded medicines for a single man who had suffered multiple strokes and had recently returned home from the hospital.
The Furniture Ministry
completed 18 deliveries and 32 pickups in April. The number of requests for furniture continued to be lower than the typical level. A total of 37 volunteers made Saturday deliveries and pickups, and another team of volunteers helped to prepare for the deliveries.
The Joint Shepherd's Center-ACCA Transportation Program
gave rides to 49 people. However, 9 requests for rides could not be met.
The separate ACCA program provided two rides.
The Meals on Wheels
program in April distributed a total of 892 meals to a total of 24 clients.
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ACCA Leaders Honored for Service
Two outstanding ACCA leaders were honored at the 2017 Fairfax County Volunteer Service Awards. Former ACCA president and current chair of ACCA's Housing Repair ministry, Marie Monsen received a Lifetime Achievement award for her volunteer service. In nominating Marie for the award, Diane McEldowney cited her work not only with ACCA, but also with Shelter House, Rebuilding Together, and Interfaith Communities for Dialogue. "Her heart for service just keeps expanding," Diane said about Marie, making her a true inspiration to others.
Gail Coleman was named the Community Champion for Mason District in large part for her work on behalf of ACCA. Gail serves as a food captain, on the CDC Board, and chair of the ACCA-Sheperd's Center Transportation program, in addition to being a past president of ACCA. Fairfax County Supervisor Penny Gross who selected Gail for the award, commended her saying, "Gail not only provides leadership, but also takes on the everyday work, identifying a need, large or small, and stepping in to address it." Supervisor Gross also praised Gail's work to increase recognition of pancreatic cancer.
Congratulations to both!
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Invitation to a Volunteer Celebration
Help us celebrate our volunteer drivers! The Shepherd's Center of Annandale Springfield will host a Lunch N' Life celebration for volunteers for the joint Shepherd's Center-ACCA Transportation Program, as well as for its other volunteers, on Thursday, May 25, from 11:30-2:00 pm at the Annandale United Methodist Church, 6935 Columbia Pike, Annandale, VA 22003. Entertainment will be provided by the Deep Crater Boys, a country-western band.
There is no charge for volunteers. The cost of lunch and entertainment for other guests is $10, which must be paid in advance to SCAS at 7610 Newcastle Dr., Annandale, VA 22003. To make a reservation or for further information call 703-941-1419. All are welcome!
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ACCA Receives Hunger Walk Funds
Church World Service returns part of the funds raised by the annual CROP Hunger Walks to help fight hunger and poverty in local communities. ACCA received a check from Church World Service for $4,778 - the local allocation from the 2016 ACCA-sponsored Annandale CROP Hunger Walk. The Annandale W
alk supports the CWS ministry for hunger-fighting development and relief efforts around the world. The 2016 Annandale CROP Hunger walk raised a total of $19,114. The fall 2017 walk will be on October 14.
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Inspired Lead
ership Helped CDC Thrive
In earlier ACCA 50th Anniversary History articles, you read about the founding of the ACCA child care center in 1968 and how the ACCA Child Development Center (CDC) has grown and flourished
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Dr. Mixie Houk
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under inspired leadership. One of the most influential of those leaders was Dr. Marian "Mixie" M. Houk, who served as director of ACCA's Child Development Center from 1972-1998. Throughout her career, Mixie was a tireless advocate for children and received many awards and recognitions for her service.
Before coming to ACCA, Dr. Mixie Houk had a successful teaching career in the Education Department at the University of Virginia, where she incorporated hands-on experience for her college students in a 3rd grade classroom at a local school. Based on her observation that many children lacked the foundation in their early years for the academic challenges they would face, Mixie determined that early childhood learning was essential for preparing children for future success. She came to her position as director of the ACCA Child Development Center with the encouragement of Pat Roland, one of her former students and the first director of ACCA's child care center.
Mixie worke
d to develop a strong relationship between ACCA and Fairfax County and to document the needs of young children. Efforts by Mixie and others led to establishment of the County's Child Care Subsidy Program. Her efforts also influenced Fairfax County's decisions to make the former Annandale Elementary School building available to the CDC, where it has been for 40 years, and later to build the infant and toddler center space, which opened in 1991. Mixie also was a strong advocate for ACCA's other ministries. For many years, she served as our newsletter editor. She truly made a mark on the organization and her community.
This is one in a series of articles about ACCA's history. If you have memories or photos of ACCA's earlier years, please share them with us at marthacromans@gmail.com.
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