Elizabeth Anne Campagna (1919-1991) Celebrated on 100th Birthday
Family, Civic and Political Leaders Came Together to Remember Amazing Life and Legacy
ALEXANDRIA,VA- Elizabeth-Anne Campbell Campagna, for which The Campagna Center in Alexandria is named, passed away far too early in 1991 at the age 72. Former Congressman Jim Moran, family and members of the community gathered to reminisce and share her legacy.
Granddaughter Delia Sullivan remembered Campagna as a “dramatic, but very charismatic person” who “often experienced opposition to progress from various groups, but soon turned her opponents into allies.”
In 1962, Elizabeth Anne Campagna joined the YWCA as director and turned it into a powerful actor in the community. As the merits of Head Start were being debated nationwide, the YWCA, in partnership with the city of Alexandria, secured funding to run Alexandria’s first Head Start program.
In 1991 the Alexandria YWCA was renamed the Campagna Center in honor of her commitment to the community. With the addition of a middle school program in 2012, The Campagna Center stands as the only nonprofit in Alexandria serving children across the education spectrum, from birth through high school.
Throughout its long history, the Campagna Center has been a catalyst for community involvement and continues to serve the Alexandria community by promoting a commitment to learning at every level. Today, with Dr. Tammy L. Mann at the helm and almost 200 staff members, 25 board members, and more than 750 volunteers dedicated to the well-being of Alexandria’s children and families, the organization ensures that Ms. Campagna’s legacy lives on.
(Photos: Lucelle O’Flaherty)
