The Ancient Roots of Philanthropy

ACC Care Center Staff in full-protective “PPE”

The original definition of philanthropy is “love of humanity.” The word was coined over 2,500 years ago by the Greeks in the tale of Prometheus. The tale goes like this – the tyrannical king of the gods, Zeus, wanted to destroy the primitive humans. Enter protagonist, Prometheus, who empowered the humans by giving them the gifts of fire and blind hope (aka optimism). Fire was symbolic of knowledge, skills, technology, arts and science; together with optimism, humans could use fire constructively to improve their conditions. What Prometheus loved was the human potential and what they could become with fire and blind hope.

Today, Merriam-Webster defines philanthropy as “goodwill to fellow members of the human race” and “an act or gift done or made for humanitarian purposes.” Some of the most well-known philanthropists are Warren Buffet, Bill Gates, Andrew Carnegie and John D. Rockefeller; but many of us are also philanthropists (on a much smaller scale, of course). It was, in fact, a group of individuals who embodied both the historical and modern definitions of the word philanthropy that created the concept of ACC.

Philanthropy has been a part of ACC from day one when the organization was established in 1972 through the volunteer efforts of local community leaders. ACC’s flagship building, the ACC Care Center, a 99-bed skilled nursing facility, is the direct result of philanthropic efforts that included the first capital campaign and countless volunteer hours dedicated to weekly bingo sessions to raise the initial funds needed for construction. From here, philanthropic efforts expanded to include recurring fundraising events such as the beloved Care Center Fundraiser, Golf Tournament, Craft & Bake Sale, and, more recently, the Big Day of Giving.

Along with the expansion of philanthropic efforts came the first hire to support fund development, a part-time student who was tasked with basic donor and gift entry and acknowledgement. A Fund Development Officer and full time Fund Development Assistant were later added. Today, we have a fantastic team that has a tremendous amount of respect for the history of ACC yet is very optimistic about the future. ACC was fortunate to find Phong Luu, Donor Services Manager, who was hired in November 2019. Phong, a recent Bay Area transplant, came to ACC with many years of experience working in fund development for large private foundations and nonprofit organizations. Thyan Pham was initially hired as an Executive Assistant in March 2018 but is in the process of transitioning to Fund Development and has assumed the lead role in coordinating the quarterly newsletters and direct mail campaigns. Angela Roberts, whom many of you already know, has been helping out due to the recent uptick in Meals on Wheels by ACC donations; and Nina Fong, On-Call Fund Development Aide, rounds out the department.

Phong regularly poses the question, “What does philanthropy mean to ACC?” Tangible examples include having the newest technology at the ACC Care Center like the GeneXpert Xpress, a device that provides testing with results within 20 minutes for multiple viruses such as COVID-19, Flu, RSV and Strep; the 3M Bair Hugger temperature monitoring system; a computer lab at the ACC Campus; library at ACC Greenhaven Terrace; or one-of-a-kind artwork at ACC Maple Tree Village. In recent months, philanthropy has enabled ACC to provide regular wellness checks via phone calls from volunteers and has included extra hours contributed by managers at the ACC Care Center during staff shortages in order to provide the highest level of service to our residents.

However, both the past and the future of philanthropy at ACC extends well beyond the handful of examples I just shared. Philanthropy at ACC provides the means to offer enhanced services to our seniors that go above and beyond expectations. This is the magic and foundation of ACC.

I’d like to invite you to read a new recurring section in ACC News, “Your Contributions at Work,” where the most recent philanthropic activity will be shared. It only seems fitting that if we dedicate a portion to each newsletter in recognition of our donors, that we share how those proceeds are being used.

ACC is extremely fortunate to have the ongoing support of monetary donations and volunteer hours from individuals, families, and corporations. It’s these contributions that will not only sustain, but help shape the future of ACC and its community of caring.