Volunteers, employees and other well-wishers associated with Area Churches Together Serving shared some stories and a meal April 23, as the interdenominational organization had a gathering to remember the ups and downs of 2023.
The volunteer and donor appreciation dinner, held in St. John's United Methodist Church's gym, included updates from Suzanne Jackson, ACTS' executive director; and the Rev. Matt Steelman, president of the board of directors.
Jackson said 2023 and 2024 have brought "incredible growth in our services," with medical assistance, thrift stores, transportation assistance and a food pantry among the offerings. She mentioned service to 928 new households in 2023.
"These are households that had never been to ACTS before… We saw 20% more clients. More clients received assistance in 2023 compared to the prior year, and we experienced a 28% increase in food assistance when compared to 2022. We served 1,900 to 2,000 individuals with a week's worth of food each month. Calls for utility assistance… were and continue to be robust and we are currently the only nonprofit providing rent assistance in Aiken," she said.
Steelman, pastor of Aiken's NewSpring Church, offered a challenge. "I want to encourage you to keep on aspiring to a higher thing, which is to make our city look more like Heaven with each and every month that you serve," he said.
Comprising ACTS now are large and small congregations spread around much of the county, including not only Aiken but also Perry, Jackson, Montmorenci, Windsor, Salley, Ridge Spring, Wagener, New Ellenton and Graniteville, with the membership list running (alphabetically) from Aiken Christian Church to Zion Fair Missionary Church.
Church affiliations include Baptist, Anglican, Methodist, Lutheran, Catholic, Presbyterian, Episcopal, Orthodox and more.
"It's truly ecumenical, and that is the beauty of ACTS," Jackson said.
"You are truly the hands and feet of ACTS," she said, expressing her appreciation for ACTS volunteers and pointing out that the organization had "more than 663 volunteers who helped us" during 2023, representing all parts of Aiken County.
"If we look at the cumulative hours that all these volunteers donated to ACTS, to our mission, you provided more than 17,850 hours to the ACTS ministry. The impact that you provide is really astounding, and especially when you look at the fact that we provided 15,000 services impacting others… last year. That's a lot of manpower."
Among ACTS' other major board members are Stephanie Lord, vice president; Lee Sims, treasurer; Lyddie Hansen, secretary; and Debbie Sessions, member at large. Completing the current board are Larry McHale, Nicole Morgan, Mike Borders, Tom Boykin, Cindy Snell, Wanda Scott, the Rev. Paul Bush, Zack Moulton, Scott Neely, Cheryl Cummings, Jane Keisler, Beverly Nettles and the Rev. Will Altman.
The evening also included a salute to Karen Perry, who was ACTS' operations manager for 19 years and chose to step down to deal with major medical problems in her family.
"There was a lot of institutional knowledge that walked out that door, but the bottom line is, she is where she needs to be, and we wanted to say just a few words of gratitude about her," Jackson said.
Audience members included Perry Mayor Jim Darley, who stood up to address the gathering and express his thanks for ACTS' efforts in the Perry-Salley area, including some that involve teenagers as volunteers, learning about the importance of giving rather than simply receiving.
"We have a prayer every time before we get started, and I mention to these children — young adults — that I appreciate them coming to volunteer and… I tell them, 'You might be on the other side of this one day,'" he said.
Major corporate sponsors include such names as Savannah River Nuclear Solutions, Centerra, Dominion Energy, Omega Technical Services, The Gifting Tree Foundation and Aiken's municipal government. The list of ACTS honorees included some of the Aiken area's largest employers, such as Aiken Regional Medical Centers and SRP Federal Credit Union, and some relatively small operations, such as Blue Salamander Solutions and Aiken Saddlery.
