Arcadia Coordinating Council Receives Largest Single Donation in its 76-Year History
The Arcadia Community Coordinating Council (ACCC,) an integral part of the community since 1947, coordinates an annual campership program giving children of low-income families in Arcadia, age 18 and under, the opportunity to participate in summer camps and other recreational activities that they may not otherwise be able to attend. The ACCC recently received its largest single donation to its Campership Program from the estate of Steve and Shirley Sanderson, long time volunteers and supporters of the community of Arcadia.
Steve and Shirley Sanderson were lifelong community volunteers serving on the boards of the Arcadia Child Health Council, The Arcadia Community Coordinating Council, the American Red Cross, The Arcadia Police Department, and the Arcadia Kiwanis. Shirley was honored as the Arcadia Senior Citizen of the Year in 2004 and in 2015, Arcadia Mayor Dennis Lojeski proclaimed June 10th “Steve & Shirley Sanderson Day” in Arcadia in appreciation of their dedication to the community.
Steve and Shirley Sanderson continued to show their support of the community they loved posthumously by designating that their furniture and household items be sold and that the proceeds be donated to the Arcadia Community Coordinating Council’s Campership Fund. Their great niece and local resident, Kristen Knight and her family, handled Steve and Shirley’s closing affairs and conducted the sale according to their wishes. That sale raised $1,700 and is the largest single individual donation received by ACCC for Camperships.
Each year the ACCC Campership Program sends approximately 100 underprivileged children and youth in Arcadia to a variety of camps and activities. These campership opportunities include Arcadia Music Camp for Arcadia High School students, weeklong resident and day camps, sports camps, and a variety of day excursions that they would not otherwise be able to participate in. In partnership with the Arcadia Assistance League who provides clothing and camp supplies like sleeping bags and hygiene kits for the campers, ACCC Campership Program Coordinator, Genevieve Valiquette, herself an ACCC Campership recipient as a child, work with families to ensure that these children have the opportunity to enjoy these lifetime experiences. This program is funded solely through donations from the community. For more information and to donate to the ACCC Campership Program visit arcadiacoordinatingcouncil.com.
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