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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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If you are not on our mailing list and want to continue receiving updates from ACCA, please
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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 Win-Win Partnership with Wolf Trap
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| A Wolf Trap teaching artist working with children at the ACCA Child Development Center. |
The preschool classrooms at the Child Development Center have come alive with performances by master artists from the Wolf Trap Institute for Early Learning through the Arts. Four master artists are working in classrooms with the children and teachers over the next few months. Pictured here are children acting out the story of "Caps For Sale." The artists and teachers work together to make books come alive by acting them out, singing songs, and dancing. As you can see, the children are really enjoying themselves!
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Challenge Campaign Exceeds Goal
ACCA is fortunate to have many volunteers, donors and supporters who join in meeting critical needs in the community. Donations during
the yearly Challenge Campaign
ensure that services continue that prevent individuals and families from being evicted, keep their utilities turned on,
provide deliveries of emergency food,
and supply needed
furniture as they move into apartments for the first time, ensuring
a healthy living environment. Donations also help young children receive quality developmental childcare and special services to be ready to start kindergarten.
The 2016-2017 Challenge Campaign began with several donors offering a challenge of $36,200. YOU answered the Challenge and provided an additional
$120,116, for
a total of $156,316 raised. We exceeded our goal by $36,316!
Special thanks and gratitude to the
individuals, families, ACCA churches, and local business organizations who responded to the call so that ACCA can continue
to respond daily to our neighbors in need of
assistance.
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Nominate a Teen Volunteer
Nominations are now open for the annual Annandale High School Volunteer Making a Difference Award.
A benefactor who recognizes the importance of youth involvement in our community has provided ACCA with funding to make an award to a graduating s
enior who has made a difference by volunteerism. ACCA wishes not only to recognize the importance of volunteering, but would also like to encourage high school youth to
give back to the community through volunteer service. ACCA will present the award at the
Annual Awards Day at Annandale High School, including
a monetary recognition.
If you know a student who you think has made a difference through volunteer activities,
download this form and r
eturn it to Mrs. Roth in the Annandale H.S. Student Service Office by
March 30.
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Rebuilding Together on April 29
ACCA will be sponsoring two houses in Annandale as part of the national Rebuilding Together day on Saturday, April 29. Come work with us and share the joy of love in action!
At a time of increased economic stress, many homeowners are faced with choosing between necessary home repairs or paying for health care, food or utilities.
Over the next six weeks, our house captains will be working with two such home owners to scope out the work to be done and recruit volunteers. We need painters, people with basic carpentry and home repair skills, and "generalists" who are willing to help where needed.
If you would like to help and are a member of one of the sponsoring churches (Annandale United Methodist, John Calvin Presbyterian, Providence Presbyterian, Ravensworth Baptist or St. Barnabas Episcopal), you may sign up through your church. If you want to volunteer and are not affiliated with any of these churches, or if you would like more information, please contact Marie Monsen at 703-354-9408 or mamonsen@verizon.net.
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ACCA Ministries Update
The Family Emergency Assistance
ministry experienced a substantial increase in requests for assistance in February, serving 39 clients and providing $23,450 in emergency aid. This was an increase of more than 100 percent in client served over the previous month, and almost as large an increase in aid provided.
One way we have been able to help is by providing clients with their first month's rent to reside in Oxford House, a group home for people leaving an inpatient substance abuse recovery program. Such requests for assistance roughly doubled in FY 2016 and we have continued to provide approximately the same level of assistance in FY 2017. Oxford House provides a safe environment for people to continue their sobriety in a well-supported living situation rather than return to an unhealthy situation where they might well relapse. It is also noteworthy that the number of Oxford Houses in the area has increased, coinciding with the publicized trend of a marked increase in drug abuse, and in particular, opioid abuse.
The Food Pantry made deliveries to 77 households, assisting 292 individuals. This was more than twice the level of assistance provided in January. Girl Scout Troop 675 brought a donation of canned goods that they collected at their "Thinking Day Celebration" on February 24. Volunteers from Cornerstone Church will be helping to stock the shelves in March and a local soccer club will hold its fourth Kicks for Cans tournament benefiting the Food Pantry on March 26th. As a result, and following on the heels of the Stuff the Bus campaign last month, donations remain high for the pantry.
The Furniture Ministry delivered needed furniture to 26 families that included 67 persons. In addition, the ministry picked up furniture from 39 locations. A
total of 53
volunteers made the deliveries and set up the furniture.
Annandale Meals on Wheels served 28 clients with 543 deliveries of a hot lunch and cold sack suppers, for a total of 1,086 meals.
The joint
Shepherd's Center/ACCA Transportation Program provided 43 rides in February. In addition, the ACCA program directly provided two rides and Holy Spirit Catholic Church continued to provide rides for an ACCA client under age 50 who needed multiple rides for physical therapy. Many thanks to Holy Spirit for helping out with this!
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Volunteers Needed
ACCA needs volunteers in a variety of roles. If you would like to help out, please respond as indicated below.
Drivers
are needed for the Shepherd's Center of Annandale Springfield-ACCA transportation program, to provide rides to medical and therapy appointments for persons age 50 or older who cannot drive themselves. Volunteers are asked to strive to drive at least once per month, unless there are extenuating circumstances, but dates are flexible. If interested, please contact the Shepherd's Center at
703-941-1419
or
shepherdscas@vacoxmail.com
. In addition, ACCA receives referrals for rides for persons under age 50. If you are interested in assisting in providing these rides, contact Gail Coleman at
gv.coleman@verizon.net
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The Food Pantry needs at least one food captain and a food buyer.
Food captains receive referrals and coordinate with drivers who deliver food to clients' homes; they serve one week every three months.
Food buyers shop for perishable items and toiletries to restock the pantry shelves; they serve one week per month. For more information or to volunteer, contact Jean Rackowski, 703-914-8066 or
henry.jean@verizon.net.
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ACCA Leaders Recognized
Two ACCA leaders have been nominated for the
2017 Fairfax County Volunteer Service Awards. Marie Monsen, ACCA Chair for Housing Repair and a past president of ACCA, was nominated for a Lifetime Achievement Award. Gail Coleman, also a past president of ACCA and chair of the ACCA/Shepherd's Center of Annandale Springfield Transportation Program, was nominated for the Mason District Community Champion Award.
The
2017 Nominees will be honored at the annual awards breakfast on Friday, April 21, 2017 at the Waterford at Springfield.
Tickets are available online. The cost is $45.00 per guest until March 21st. After March 21, the cost is $50.00 per guest. Ticket sales will close April 7th.
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It Began with Children and an Ejection!
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ACCA 50 Years Ago - a series of articles about ACCA's history.
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It all started in March of 1967 when federal regulations deemed that 13 children - 4 of whom were African American - were no longer eligible to receive subsidized day care because their parents' income exceeded the federal poverty level.
Distressed about the plight of the children, community activist Fred Ruffing, president of the Higher Horizon Day Care Center (housed at Mount Pleasant Baptist Church), vowed to do something to help these families. His first stop, with his wife Emily, was a meeting at Peace Lutheran Church with ministers and laypersons from eight Annandale area churches. These churches pledged money to help place the children in new day care centers and appointed a day care action committee to find places for the children.
However, despite the funding support, they were not able to place all the children, since only two of the centers contacted would accept African American children, and they were full. In addition, the fees at many of the centers were too high for the group's limited resources. (Click here to continue reading on the ACCA website)
If you have memories or photos of ACCA's earlier years, please share them with us at
mromans@verizon.net.
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