pdf | print

Some of the ANC commissioners enjoying ACC's "Appreciation Lunch" (l-r): Greta J. Fuller, Absalom Jordan,  Carolyn Bridges-Ward, Mitchell Hawkins (obscured), S.S. Seegars, Maria Powell, Melvin H. Sims and Karlene Armstead.

Advisory neighborhood commissioners attend a lot of meetings and deserve “a chance to talk and break bread together with no agenda,” says Philip Pannell, executive director of Anacostia Coordinating Council (ACC). So every two years, ACC hosts an “appreciation” luncheon for Ward 8 commissioners as well as those in ANC 7B (which encompasses part of historic Anacostia). In addition to providing food and a friendly atmosphere, the event is one of the few that draws commissioners from around the ward, encouraging cross-commission discussion.

ACC is a nonprofit founded in 1983 to help revitalize Anacostia and neighboring communities. Its regular meetings are held on the last Tuesday of the month at the Smithsonian's Anacostia Community Museum. Hospitality for the appreciation luncheon was provided by Georgena's Restaurant, 2737 Martin Luther King Ave. SE, which opened on a Sunday just for the occasion.

This year, with the 2010 census just around the corner, ACC provided commissioners and community guests with tote bags and information about “being counted.” Ward 8 is among those places considered “hard to count,” for a variety of reasons, says Pannell. So his organization is working with community leaders to encourage greater participation.