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Meet the 2012 Ruffing Scholars   

Emily Ruffing, Genesis Adrian, AnnMarie Hicks, Cassandra Dahlke, Afomeya Mekonen and Karle Ruffing following presentation of the Fred and Emily Ruffing Scholarships.

At our most uplifting meeting of the year, Scholarship Committee Chair AnnMarie Hicks along with ACCA co-founder Emily Ruffing introduced the four students selected to receive college scholarships for the upcoming academic year. The Emily and Fred Ruffing scholarships were established in honor of Emily and her late husband and fellow ACCA co-founder, Fred Ruffing. The meeting was held at Queen of Apostles, one of the original ACCA churches. All four scholars shared their moving stories of overcoming disabilities and achieving academic success.

AnnMarie and Josh Anton at the ACCA board meeting.

Plan Now for the CROP Hunger Walk

The annual CROP Hunger Walk will take place on October 13 at the Lake Accotink Park marina. Walkers will enjoy beautiful fall colors as they hike the trail around Lake Accotink and raise money to fight hunger and poverty here and abroad.   

ACCA works with Church World Services (CWS) to organize the walk. The 2011 Annandale CROP Walk raised $22,318; of this, ACCA received over $5,000 back from CWS as our local share.

The Crop Walk poster contest is open to youth through grade 12. Posters should be about hunger or fighting poverty and include the CROP Walk information (October 13, 8 am, Lake Accotink Park). All participants receive certificates, and winners are announced at the CROP Walk. 

A recruiter is needed from each participating church to publicize the walk, coordinate with walkers, and take responsibility for turning in the funds collected. There will be a recruiters' meeting on Saturday August 25, 10 a.m., at St. Barnabas' Episcopal Church, 4801 Ravensworth Rd., Annandale. Walk materials will also be available at the September ACCA meeting.     

Child Development Center News

Nike Elite Youth Basketball players visited the CDC to read to the children in July.

July was a busy month at the ACCA Child Development Center (CDC). The United Way organized a service project for a group of high school basketball players who visited and read aloud and gave books to the children. The 10 young men were in the DC area to take part in Nike's Global Challenge, an international tournament featuring the best high school players from around the world.  

Children from the CDC participated in the second annual festival of the Ethiopian Heritage Society art show at Georgetown University. And a group of 23 children from Lord of Life Church visited and worked with the children on outdoor art projects for our garden. You can see photos and video of some of these activities on the CDC Facebook page.  

Congratulations to 17 CDC staff members who recently received their Child Development Associate Credential from the Council for Professional Recognition, and to four staff members who are renewing their credentials this month.

Emergency Financial Assistance

In June and July, ACCA provided more than $17,000 in support to 72 households with 209 family members. Paying rent, utilities and medical expenses are the major ways that Family Emergency Assistance helps families experiencing crises.  

Many times, health issues prevent the family wage earner from working, leading them to fall behind in paying their bills. ACCA steps in to prevent eviction or utilities being shut off while the family gets back on a sound financial footing. During July, for example, ACCA assisted a woman who lost work time while caring for an adult son with sickle cell anemia, a man who suffered a stroke, and a grandmother who lost wages needed to care for her grandchild because she needed surgery. In another case, ACCA paid an overdue gas bill so a mother who provides in-home child care could continue to work.

Food Pantry

The Food Pantry volunteers made 83 deliveries in June and 96 in July. The Pantry is currently low on most items. Please keep the following list in mind as you do your grocery shopping: peanut butter, jelly, spaghetti sauce, rice, pancake mix, syrup, corn bread mix, all types of drinks, beef stews, and all paper products. Drop off donations to member churches or at the ACCA Child Development Center, 7200 Columbia Pike, Annandale, VA during normal business hours.

Residents of Goodwin House Bailey Crossroads (GHBC) contributed more than $700 and 28 bags of food to the Pantry in June - a critical time because many low-income families have a hard time feeding their children during the summer, when they are not receiving free or reduced price meals at school. This successful drive was coordinated by GHBC residents Mary Anne Lecos, Jean Stephens and Avis Jarrett, all current or former committee chairs for ACCA.

Furniture Ministry  

During June and July, ACCA volunteers made deliveries to 54 households, including 42 households having children under age 18 and seven to households including persons with disabilities. The team also made 69 pick-ups of donated furniture.  

The following churches and organizations provided volunteers: St. Anthony of Padua, Rotary Club, Latter Day Saints, Peace Lutheran, St. Michael's, Immanuel Methodist, St. Alban's, Annandale United Methodist, St. Barnabas' and Cornerstone Evangelical. Additional help came from university students, the Pax Community in Maryland, Holy Spirit Church, and court-ordered individuals. Thanks to all!

The annual review and planning meeting for the Furniture ministry will be held at St. Alban's Church on August 25 at 10 a.m. All are welcome.

Transportation Ministry  

Volunteers provided 24 rides for 12 clients in June and 17 rides for 6 clients in July. If you can help by driving individuals to medical or other appointments, please call Madeline Crytzer at 703 256-2342.

Photo: Volunteer Farm

 The Volunteer Farms in Woodstock and Culpeper raise fresh produce for food pantries in counties throughout northern and western Virginia using volunteer labor.  Recently, the Culpeper Farm provided 45 pounds of potatoes to the ACCA Food Pantry. With new crops of squash, beans, tomatoes, watermelon, cucumber, corn, and cantaloupe coming in the months of August and September, they hope to have more fresh produce to provide through ACCA's Food Pantry to families in our area experiencing food insecurity.  

Collect for Kids Program 
The Fairfax Office of Public-Private Partnerships is coordinating the collection of school supplies for distribution in the schools through  Collect for Kids. The program runs from July 16 - August 23. Four schools in the ACCA service area will receive assistance.

Church groups, individuals, clubs are invited to sponsor needed items, which include cash, backpacks and calculators (specific models only). Cash donations are used to purchase supplies at bulk prices; in fact, for every $1 the group is able to purchase almost $4 worth of supplies; you can fill a backpack for $10. Donations are accepted at every Apple Federal Credit Union branch in Fairfax County. Also look for the yellow bus boxes at other charitable organizations, including Fairfax County Fire Houses.

For more information, contact Mary Lee Di Spirito at 703- 256-9513 or ddmld@verizon.net

In Memoriam

We extend our sympathy to Sarah McCotter (OR for Warner Baptist) whose husband passed away on July 21, and to Geneva Pope, whose mother passed away on June 29. May they rest in the peace of the Lord. 

Meals on Wheels

Volunteers made 441 deliveries in July. Each consisted of both a hot meal and a cold meal, resulting in a total of 882 meals delivered to home bound individuals.