Lucian & Sara Acuff:

The BoxTop$ King and the Principal

by Eric Johnson

Ask the children whose school benefits from cereal box tops. Or interview the folks who enjoy free, homemade nut rolls. Or inquire of the families that contribute aluminum cans to weekly charity drives.
Ask any of them about the depth of Chantilly’s community spirit, what’s being accomplished by helpful neighbors, and whether they know anyone who rolls up their sleeves for the greater good. In reply, they’ll probably mention Lucian and Sara Acuff.
Community spirit energizes Lucian and Sara and for decades has defined their doing-for-others lifestyle. The base for their activities is a home on a Chantilly cul-de-sac where they’ve lived for more than 27 years.
They are retirees — Lucian served as a Navy helicopter pilot and Sara made her mark as a school principal and teacher — who never let up in supporting neighbors in need, particularly schoolchildren.
“We love kids,” Lucian said, flashing his signature smile. “We’ve always loved kids, and we’ve always done things with kids.”
“My father always said, ‘You have to give back,’” said Sara. “We have a philosophy that cuts to the chase, gets to what is important. Kids are important.”
Between them, Lucian and Sara raised five children after marrying in their 40s. Their grown kids, 12 grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren are scattered across the country, from Charlottesville to Washington state. They’re now raising an adopted great-granddaughter–a busy teenager named Skyler.
But to truly understand the couple’s love for and impact on the lives of children, one must look far beyond their family. Young people inside their heart-shaped circle of influence can be found throughout the Chantilly area, and include many whose names they may never know.
Perhaps the largest group of these children have been helped by Lucian in his capacity as (drum roll, please) the “BoxTop$ King.” He began his reign several years ago when a member of the Brookfield Elementary School PTA, who also happened to be a next-door neighbor, handed him a small package.
“I asked what this was, and her answer was merely, ‘You’ll figure it out,’” Lucian said. “It was the information that would ultimately start me on a journey that has made $100,000 (and counting) for our local elementary school, Brookfield.”
The information described how to raise money for a school and student field trips by collecting box tops through a cereal company’s education program. Lucian devised a system for families to save box tops and other fundraising items in empty plastic peanut butter jars. He distributed the jars to the kindergarten students at Brookfield, some of whom are now at Chantilly High School.
“The kids would get their parents to collect box tops, Coke caps, and pull tabs from cans” in the jars, he explained. Once filled, the jars “would go from kids to teachers to me. Then start over again. The kids keep these jars as they move through school” from kindergarten through high school, “and the cycle just keeps going.”
Top: Lucian poses at home wearing a Brookfield shirt and box top ‘crown.’
Middle: Sara Acuff Bottom: T he famous hat that Lucian fashioned as reigning ‘BoxTop$ King.’
Left: Tasty nut rolls baked in Sara and Lucian’s kitchen are annual holiday treats for friends and family.
Above: One of many business checks for local schoolchildren resulting from Lucian’s efforts.
Motivating Lucian was the fact that the year before he accepted the package, five Brookfield field trips were canceled for a lack of funding. After winning the BoxTop$ King title, he fashioned a crownlike hat with box tops and got featured by local media.
“We were not looking for self-adulation,” he said. “I’ve been on radio, TV, the newspaper. I only do it because it will expand the number who will help.”
Other ways to raise money opened up. Lucian requested and received gift cards of varying amounts from area restaurants and other businesses. A doughnut shop’s grand opening led to a $1,000 donation for Brookfield. A cereal company’s promotional game provided more than $30,000.
Lucian organized students, Boy Scout troops, and a retired data-entry technician to enter codes found inside bottle tops as part of a beverage company’s promotion.
“This was truly a community coming together,” he said. “This program ended this past June but not before we made $17,400.”
Lucian also raises about $2,500 every year for Brookfield by recycling aluminum cans. Cans are collected twice weekly from participating neighbors. “Again, the community is involved,” he said. “Some even drop them off at my house.”
Sara supports her husband’s endeavors and helps others as the membership cochair for the Clifton Community Woman’s Club. The club raises funds for college and high school scholarships as well as a dozen other needy agencies. “We’re a very busy volunteer group,” she said. “We do a lot!”
And never forgotten by the couple are their cul-de-sac neighbors and far-flung friends and relatives, each of whom receives a freshly baked nut roll every Thanksgiving in person or by mail. It’s a tradition Lucian traces back to his greatgreat grandmother.
Lucian and Sara first met at a ballroom dance studio in Fairfax. “He saw me in my red sweater, and I lined up to be paired with him as he is very handsome,” Sara recalled. “Thus began a romance that is still going.”
The couple married six months later at the U.S. Naval Academy. Lucian had graduated in 1970 and served as a helicopter pilot. After their wedding, they attended Portuguese language school in California before transferring to Brazil.
“Many of our best memories were there in South America with the beauty of the warm and good-natured people, a climate that was perfect, and surroundings of nature that were unrivaled,” she said.
Returning to the States, Lucian retired from the Navy in 1992. They settled in Chantilly. Lucian went into the mortgage business and Sara worked teaching as well being a principal at Oakton Elementary and Crossfield Elementary, retiring in 2006.
Lucian grew up with six siblings in Charleston, S.C., while Sara’s childhood years were spent in Newport News, Hampton, and Norfolk. Lucian’s father was a Navy engineer and Sara’s father worked as a professor and track coach at ODU, winning team honors from four states.
Today, Lucian and Sara are busy supporting Chantilly children while enjoying the community’s family atmosphere and diversity. “This is a super-caring community, where some parents have two or three jobs,” Sara said. “Everybody is always pulling for the kids.
“This is the great American neighborhood,” she continued. “We have neighbors on our street alone who are Sikh, Thai, Filipino, Korean, Chinese, Japanese, and plain-old American. All American communities would benefit from multiple cultures like this.”