The 2023 Big Day of Giving, organized by the Sacramento Region Community Foundation, came to a close at midnight on Thursday, May 4. More than 700 nonprofits in the Sacramento region raised money for their causes. ACC finished in 2nd place at $360,466, right behind The Salvation Army, which raised $398,647. View the BDOG Leaderboard. The amount ACC raised is the largest for a single fundraiser in ACC’s 50-year history.

804 donors participated. Roger and Florence Fong, Dr. Gordon A. and Merrily F. Wong, and an anonymous donor led the giving with donations of $25,000 and above. Ten donors gave $5,000 to $9,999. More than 40 donors gave between $1,000 and $4,999. This included a gift from Naomi Goto, the wife of the late Leo Goto, ACC’s founding President of the Board when ACC began in 1972.

ACC’s Big Day of Giving Telethon was one of several events leading up to May 4. The others were ACC’s Big Day of Community (April 22), Big Day of Golfing (April 26), and Big Day of Pickleball (May 2). These events drew attention to ACC’s important role in serving older adults and their caregivers and called on the community to support these activities through charitable giving.

Many donors dedicated their giving to ACC Rides, which celebrates its 20th anniversary this year. This included a $5,000 gift from Walter Liang and a $12,000 pledge from Alignment Health, a Medicare Advantage plan, to be used for “ACC Rides transportation for outings, excursions, and field trips.”

The Big Day of Community, held on the back lawn of ACC on April 22, featured 60 vendors and community booths, food trucks, and live cultural entertainment. More than 1,000 people attended the festivities. Seniors 85 and older received a free lunch. View pictures.

The Big Day of Golfing on April 26 registered 144 ACC supporters into a friendly tournament held at Teal Bend Golf Course. The weather that day could not have been more perfect. Breakfast burritos and lunch were provided. And, once again, the prize for the highest-score went to the team led by Lorna Fong. View pictures.

The Big Day of Pickleball started at 8 a.m. on May 2nd, but had to shut down early due to rain. Plans are underway to reschedule any unfinished play.

ACC’s Big Day of Giving Telethon was an epic two-day production held at the ACC campus on May 3rd and 4th and livestreamed on YouTube and Facebook. This year, we had a live studio audience with food and refreshments. The telethon’s nine hours of programming featured musical performances, storytelling, and cooking demos from the ACC community. The emcees of the telethon were Jean Shiomoto, Jeri Shikuma, Scott Okamoto, and Dani Lee. Media veteran Sharon Ito appeared as a guest emcee on Day 2. The telethon opened with a big production number from ACC’s staff and volunteers.

Members of the Renaissance Society were on the telethon for the first time. Their segment was capped off by a three-person musical performance. Also new to the show were singer Alexa Mark, singers Roni and Rochelle Yadao, The Little Uke Group, philanthropist Moni Kondos, Lana Chong, and restaurateur Suleka Sun-Lindley. Maryellen Burns and Chef David Soohoo introduced the ACC Community Cookbook which will be available at the ACC Ohana Walk in September. Janice Joe led a presentation on the Congressional Gold Medal given to Chinese American WWII veterans.

Day 2 opened with the ACC Showstoppers rendition of “One” from the musical, A Chorus Line. Sharon Ito joined the telethon as a guest co-host for an hour announcing program segments. Friends, family, and colleagues paid tribute to Virginia Wieneke, Rides Program Manager, for her twenty years of service to ACC Rides. They presented her with flowers, a special edition of ACC News, and a cake. Later in the program Rev. Matt Hamasaki from the Buddhist Church of Sacramento made a cameo appearance, playing the ukulele and singing “The Lava Song” to a surprised and delighted crowd.