Volunteer Archives - ACC Senior Services

Volunteer Appreciation Luncheon 2026

Scott Okamoto — Tue, 28 Apr 2026 23:44:46 +0000

April is Volunteer Appreciation Month, and on April 25, 2026, ACC proudly celebrated the incredible individuals who give their time and heart to our community.

We welcomed 109 volunteers to a special sit-down, buffet-style lunch filled with delicious dishes and meaningful moments. The menu featured smoked BBQ pork, chow mein, steamed mixed vegetables, wonton soup (with 600 wontons lovingly prepared by John’s parents!), cream cheese wontons, and refreshing boba-flavored teas.

This memorable meal was made possible thanks to generous ingredient donations from Connie Van, John Ha, and SF Market, and was prepared and served by Connie, John, and their family. A special thank you to Café La Vie owner Anh Luu for the boba tea, and to Lela Krueger for the beautiful and tasty desserts—including a watermelon fruit cake, chocolate cupcakes, and vanilla cake.

Guests enjoyed music and sound by Sean, a welcome by Jill Hays, Interim President & CEO, and captured fun moments at the photo booth, and left with swag bags filled with goodies like rice (donated by Farmer’s Rice Coop), Hawaiian Sun drinks (courtesy of Oto’s Marketplace), popcorn, chips, cookies, and sweet treats—plus a brand-new ACC Volunteer lanyard.

This event was truly a team effort, thoughtfully planned and hosted by our Volunteer Services Committee: Mary Bienko, Wes Goo, Judi Keen, and Tracy Shirasago. Our Board Members also pitched in with setup, serving, cleanup, and raffle prize donations.

As Mary Bienko shared during the event:
“Today’s lunch is a small token of our deep appreciation for all you contribute. Your commitment, hard work, and generosity are the backbone of ACC Senior Services. Every hour you volunteer and every task you complete makes a meaningful difference. Over 13,715 volunteer hours were captured in Volunteer Matters in 2025.”

To all our volunteers—thank you for everything you do. You make a difference every single day.

If you missed the invitation or were unable to make the luncheon, please contact Jasmine Holling at volunteer@accsv.org

Photos by Jeff Jong, ACC Camera Club

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14th Annual ACC Crab Feed – A Smashing Success!

Scott Okamoto — Wed, 01 Apr 2026 19:20:09 +0000

On Saturday, March 28, 2026, ACC Senior Services welcomed over seven hundred friends, supporters, and community partners to its 14th Annual Crab Feed, one of the organization’s most beloved and anticipated fundraising traditions. The evening was filled with laughter, camaraderie, incredible food, and an inspiring spirit of generosity—all in support of ACC’s mission to serve and empower seniors throughout the Sacramento region.
Guests enjoyed a lively evening emceed by Sacramento County Supervisor Pat Hume, whose humor and energy helped keep the program moving and the crowd engaged. The event was made possible through the leadership of event chairs Evelyn Chin, Debbie Seid, and Janet Sakata, whose dedication and countless hours of planning helped bring the evening to life. Thank you to the Crab Feed Workgroup who has met for months to work out every detail of this year’s event. The evening was supported by ACC’s Board of Directors, ACC staff, and an incredible team of volunteers who ensured the event’s festivities ran smoothly from start to finish.

Over 2800 lbs of Asian-Style Hot Dungeness Crab!

Of course, the heart of the evening was the food. A tremendous thank you goes to Dor, Gordie, and the entire kitchen crew from the Sacramento Asian Sports Foundation (SASF), who once again worked tirelessly behind the scenes to prepare and serve a feast for hundreds of guests. Serving over 2,800 pounds of dungeness crab, accompanied by fried rice, asian-style ribs, mixed green salad with toasted sesame dressing, and freshly-fried shrimp chips. The cooks hard work and expertise ensured that everyone enjoyed a delicious and memorable meal.
Guests also enjoyed signature cocktails generously donated by Binh Dao of local AAPI owned Dao Distillery, adding a special touch to the evening’s festivities. Featuring local Bogle and Heringer wines, frozen margaritas and more, the bar area was kept running smoothly thanks to ACC Board Member, Wes Goo, and the entire bar volunteer group of bartenders, who kept spirits high throughout the night.

New this year…

The excitement continued with a bustling Silent Auction and Raffle, featuring generous contributions from many community businesses and supporters. We are deeply grateful to all of the donors who provided items and experiences that helped make it such a success. From Silver Oak Wine Tastings to DeMar DeRozan signed jersey, there was something for everyone! A special shout out to volunteer Lela Goo, who’s skills and creativity added amazingly beautiful, one-of-a-kind custom cakes to the dessert auction.

Returning Crowd Favorites…

No crab feed would be complete without a little friendly competition, and the ever-popular “Last Person Standing” raffle delivered plenty of laughs and suspense. Special thanks to Lorna “The General,” Bev, and Pam, whose leadership and enthusiasm helped make this crowd-favorite activity such a highlight of the evening.Guests lined up to enjoy the famous homemade treats at the ACC Bake Sale, coordinated by Jean Shiomoto and an amazing team of bake sale volunteers who filled the table with irresistible goodies. From POG mochi and matcha rice crispy to cornflake macadamia nut cookies, attendees found something to satisfy their sweet tooth.

Volunteers are at the core of what we do.

Behind the scenes, dozens of volunteers worked tirelessly throughout the day—helping with event setup, serving food, bussing tables, kitchen prep, and cleanup. Their generosity of time and energy is a powerful reflection of the caring community that surrounds ACC.
We are also grateful to Giovanni’s Pizza for donating over 20 pizzas to help feed our hardworking volunteers, and to Western Foods for donating 200 pounds of Koda Farms Kokuho Rose rice for the evening’s fried rice.

Supporting Sacramento Seniors

The success of the Crab Feed is a testament to the incredible generosity of our community. From sponsors and donors to volunteers and guests, every person played a role in helping ACC continue its vital work of providing transportation, senior care, social programs, and culturally responsive services helping older adults live with dignity, connection, and independence.
To everyone who attended, volunteered, donated, and supported this event: thank you. Because of you, the ACC community continues to thrive, and together we are ensuring that the seniors we serve receive the care, respect, and support they deserve.

Photos Courtesy of ACC Camera Club – Jeff Jong & Jonathan Sakakibara

Sponsored by the Law Offices of Alyssa Chow

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Volunteer Spotlight

Corky Mau — Fri, 07 Nov 2025 14:10:00 +0000

After spending five minutes with Kaori Sakauye, you feel her energetic spirit and compassion for helping senior adults in our community. She retired from the City of Sacramento in 2019 and still maintains a busy schedule.

Kaori loves her role as a Friendly Visitor for ACC’s Friendly Visitor/In Home Respite Program. Nationwide, Friendly Visitor programs connect older adults with volunteers for regular social interaction.

She explains why she volunteers, “There’s a similar program in Japan that’s helping my 93-year old mother. I signed up two years ago to be an ACC Friendly Visitor volunteer.” She spends two hours, once a week with her program participants. “One of my seniors is a retired attorney and loves to chat about politics while we stroll through her garden. My other senior has a progressive disease, and we play board games during weekly visits.”
In between her senior visits, the rest of her week is consumed with teaching and performing taiko drumming. Kaori was born in Saitama, Japan, but didn’t take up taiko until she moved to California and joined the Sacramento Taiko Dan in 1993. “One day, my Sensei, Tiffany Tamaribuchi, asked me to help teach taiko at Koyasan Temple. She suggested I train with a professional instructor in Japan. I studied there for two years.”
Kaori also leads a Drum Circle for memory care residents at McMahon Terrace twice a month; and teaches taiko at the Hart Senior Center twice a week.

She learned that taiko drumming could be beneficial to individuals living with Parkinson’s. She approached the Parkinson’s Support Group at ACC with the idea of introducing drumming to their members. The Tuesday afternoon class only started six months ago, but it’s already popular with participants like Dennis Wong. He adds, “As a recently diagnosed person with Parkinson’s, I understand the importance of physical activity. I’m glad that ACC offers this special activity for us. Kaori exudes patience and warmth as she teaches us the fine art of taiko.”
Kaori also teaches two other taiko classes at ACC on Wednesdays.

Her longtime passion is Hello Kitty. Kaori shared an interesting factoid with me: the cat doesn’t have a mouth. The design choice is deliberate, allowing people to communicate through their heart rather than words.

She loves the outdoors. “In my younger days, I completed 10 marathons and more than 70 half-marathons. Now I just walk around my Pocket neighborhood. We try to fit in standup paddle boarding at Lake Natoma when we have free time,” says Kaori.

Kaori is devoted to her family. She met husband David during their years of performing taiko. They married in the Koyasan Temple in 2002. Their son, also David, will soon graduate with a degree in Anthropology from Sacramento State. Kaori makes an annual trip to Japan to see her relatives. Kaori adds, “I appreciate the help my mother gets in Japan. I’m happy to do the same for others in our ACC family.”

If you or someone you know would like to volunteer for ACC’s Friendly Visitor program, call 916-503-5386 or send an email to: resources@accsv.org to get more information.

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Volunteers Refresh ACC Care Center Planter Boxes

Bill Wong — Thu, 15 May 2025 04:44:54 +0000

Many families and ACC supporters are seeing positive changes at ACC’s Care Center on Rush River Drive under the leadership of its new administrator Heidi Wheeler and ACC’s Pres. & CEO Connie Rusynyk. Recognized by US News and World Report as one of the BEST in the nation for both Short-term and Long-term Care, the ACC Care Center is one of three Sacramento skilled nursing communities to receive this notable dual recognition in 2025.

While many great updates are happening inside the Care Center, 33 cheerful volunteers showed up with tools in hand and spent a sunny Saturday morning outside of the Care Center freshening up the planters behind the garden gazebo. Powered by donuts from Manley’s and BBQ pork buns from Dim Dim Bakery, these volunteers pulled weeds, pruned rose bushes, tilled the soil, laid mulch, and planted geraniums, marigolds, begonias, lemon thyme, and pineapple basil donated by Green Acres Nursery and Supply in Elk Grove. Seasoned local gardeners Lorna “The General” Fong and Sally Phelan helped instruct and direct the eager volunteers. Lorna and Sally also went to work fixing the aging drip irrigation system. After three short hours the planters looked amazing and in a few weeks ACC’s residents and their families will be able to enjoy some bright and colorful blooms and the fragrant scents of lemon, thyme, basil, and pineapple.

Sacramento County Supervisor Patrick Kennedy joined Assemblymember Stephanie Nguyen who brought her two daughters and a crew of her dedicated district staff to pitch in as well. Special thanks to the volunteers from ARI, Inc., the Asian Pacific Islander Capital Association, and the following individuals for volunteering on this project: Rejie Baloyos, Michael Burckhard, Cynthia Curral, Lorna Fong, Joseph Garilli, Alexis Giang, Lily Ha, Samapreet Kaur, Patrick Kenedy, Margie Lie, Derrick Lim, Akenese Luluga, Leutu Luluga, Jim McRitchie, Zach Morris, John Nam, Leslie Sakai Nesley, Hana Nguyen, Lana Nguyen, Stephanie Nguyen, Farhad Noorzada, Anthony Pham, Sally Phelan, Bev Shimizu, Sylvia Tang, Ryan Tomlinson, Tai Tuioti, Bill Wong, Lynn Yamamoto, Hach Yasumura, Myra Young, and Eric Yuan.

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Senior Escort Program celebrates 1500 Walks!

Remy Tokunaga — Fri, 12 Apr 2024 17:47:40 +0000

Since its inception in 2022, ACC’s Senior Escort Program celebrates the incredible milestone of completing 1500 walks. In response to anti-Asian hate incidents, the Senior Escort Program was formed as a collaborative effort to protect seniors while out in the community. Over time, the program has evolved from a safety initiative to a source of independence and social connection for seniors – one walk at a time.

The Senior Escort Program matches seniors with friendly volunteers who meet them at their home or a location of choice to take walks around the neighborhood, shop at local grocery stores, or navigate through doctors’ offices for appointments. During walks, participants are able to connect with volunteers one-on-one and boost their physical and mental health. Based on our 2023 survey, 90% of participants feel safer using the Senior Escort Program, and 72% of participants have felt an improvement with their mental health since starting the program.

In addition to daily walks, Senior Escort Program staff schedules multiple shopping trips and group outings for participants and volunteers. These outings not only give participants a variety of opportunities to get out safely, but also provide extra socialization between participants at a similar stage in life. Volunteers have also shared their joy in meeting other volunteers, and connecting on their passion of giving back to the community. “I love meeting such a wide range of individuals, providing a safe feeling outside, and letting seniors know that they are not alone. I enjoy this program so very much, and I am sure I get more out of it than the seniors,” says Senior Escort Program Volunteer, Julie Zumalt.

Another goal of the Senior Escort Program is to combat isolation – physically and emotionally. 83% of participants feel less socially isolated since starting the program. “I feel that having an escort improves my social isolation since I am a widow and cancer survivor. Despite having family members to help, it’s better having a neutral party to talk to,” says Senior Escort Program Participant, Mariko Yamashita .

ACC’s Senior Escort Program has been able to expand, not only in size, but across generations, race/ethnicity, and disabilities. In creating a safe space for seniors and volunteers, we’re able to work towards creating a community of caring and sense of belonging. “I appreciate and love all of the escorts. I always look forward to walking with them. I feel like I can be myself and become more independent,” says Wanda Thomas, a blind participant of ACC’s Senior Escort Program.

Reach out to our Senior Escort Program Coordinator and learn about ways you can become a participant/volunteer, or support our program!

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