The Associação Cultural e Desportiva da Carapalha (ACDC), in Castelo Branco, celebrated its 28th anniversary on Saturday, September 5th, with a program that took place throughout the day at the association's headquarters. The festivities included activities for children, sport, institutional recognition for table tennis athletes and moments of fellowship, bringing together members, leaders, athletes, families and representatives of local entities. The program started at 10am with "CarapalhaPlay", a sensory playgroup aimed at babies and children from nine months to five years old, developed by Inês and Raquel, with sensory experiences and activities in contact with nature.
The president of the Junta de Freguesia of Castelo Branco, José Dias dos Santos Pires, was present and highlighted the association's role in the neighborhood and the city, associating the ACDC's journey with four concepts: communion, commitment, trust and community. In his speech, he congratulated the association on its 28 years and wished for the continuation of the work developed. The president of ACDC, José Perquilhas, recalled the institution's journey and thanked the hundreds of people who, over nearly three decades, have been part of the association as leaders, volunteers, athletes, teachers and collaborators.
The sporting component took center stage during the afternoon with the 3rd Open-Air Table Tennis Tournament, starting at 4pm, with Youth, Amateur and Masters categories. José Perquilhas announced that the table tennis section will have, next season, three competition teams and that the training program currently includes 44 young athletes, highlighting the main team's participation in the National Second Division as one of the results of the work carried out.
The celebrations continued at 6:30pm with a fellowship snack and the candle-blowing moment, with the Associação Mais Lusofonia participating in the ceremony. The president of this entity, Sofia Lourenço, presented a tribute plaque to ACDC in recognition of the merit and dedication to the cultural, sporting and social development of the community. The association was born 28 years ago from a group of residents of the Carapalha neighborhood who wanted to give representation and voice to the local community.
