More than one hundred fifty community members and small business donors attended the 25th Annual Acton-Boxborough Skate FUNdraiser and local food drive at the Nashoba Valley Olympia in Boxborough on Sunday, March 3. Supporters raised funds for local charities and non-profits while enjoying two hours of ice skating, DJ music, and refreshments. All proceeds from the event benefited local food pantries, community wellness programs, ecological initiatives, educational non-profits, and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) activities. The fundraiser was organized by AB PIP STEM.
Resident and business participants donated goods and services to the fundraiser. Skating donors included Nashoba Valley Olympia, Colonial Figure Skating Club, and Cooke’s Skate Rentals. Hospitality supporters included Acton Coffee, Edible Arrangements, Oscar’s Burrito, Eve & Murray’s Farm to Home, Bee’s Knees British Imports, Idylwilde Farms, and KJ’s Caffe. Communications supporters included acanthi.com, Market Dynamics, Acton TV, UPS Store Acton, and ONE27 Photography.
Nashoba Valley Olympia’s bear mascot, Tripp, was a star attraction at the event, along with volunteers from the Colonial Figure Skating Club who showcased their skating talents and mentored novice skaters. Some attendees wore yellow as part of a “Kindness” campaign to celebrate Caroll Spinney (aka Big Bird), a 1951 graduate of Acton High.
All $2,000 in donations benefited the following local causes: Acton Food Pantry, Loaves & Fishes, Acton TV, AB United Way, AB Resource Center, Acton Boxborough Cultural Council’s Our World Film Series, Live for Liv Foundation in Westford, ecological activities including the “Green the Red House” at 468 Main Street in Acton, and AB PIP STEM which is re-visioning after twenty-five years as AB STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, Math). In addition, the Silver Unicorn Bookstore offered signed copies of “What Works In Community News” from their media event cosponsored with The Acton Exchange.
KJ Herther is Co-Chair Emerita & Coach of AB PIP STEM, on the Steering Committee for EnergizeActon, and the business liaison for the Acton Climate Coalition which benefitted from ecological donations. Janice Ward is Web Content Editor for AB PIP STEM.