Service, dedication defines SCCAP

By Alyssa Tomasello

Santa Clara Community Action Program, better known as SCCAP, is making a difference in the surrounding world. This on-campus club brings students of all backgrounds, faiths and ethnicities together in order to better the lives of others.

Students see the signs and the posters all around campus but many find themselves asking, "What is SCCAP?" SCCAP is an on campus student-run program that promotes community involvement and volunteerism.

"For all of us, it makes a difference to spend time on the streets, to speak with the voiceless," said sophomore Drew Hodun on the importance of giving back to the community. "It's this love that gives me hope in a world and neighborhood where hope is so easily lost."

Originally founded in 1965, SCCAP only featured a small array of programs, mainly specializing in political activism. SCCAP has transformed in the last 45 years. Most recently, the club has targeted the decline in volunteerism by providing a multitude of programs for student volunteers to choose from.

SCCAP's mission statement goes hand in hand with the university's ambition to educate the student body to be leaders of competence, conscience and compassion.

Through this, SCCAP provides opportunities for the student body to immerse themselves in service through community-based programs devoted to "advocacy, activism, and leadership." Not only does SCCAP challenge their volunteers to view the world as a global community, it also focuses on dealing with various social issues. Participants of SCCAP "commit to creating a more humane and just world."

SCCAP is tailored to have a department that is appealing to every student. Because SCCAP targets such a wide array of social justice issues, there is sure to be a program fit for anyone.

Ranging from working with children, to homeless, to people of diverse background, SCCAP has a broad range. SCCAP is dedicated to enabling students with chances to get involved.

"SCCAP offers a variety of programs that make it easy to volunteer in an area of your interest," said senior SCCAP member Maggie Fitzgerald. "Be it working with children, the homeless, or people with disabilities."

One of the greatest features of SCCAP is that students have an opportunity to become as involved as they choose. The commitments of each program are tailored to the volunteer's schedule, and the volunteer is able to participate as much as he or she has time to devote.

"I've participated in several SCCAP-run programs and think it's a great program," said Fitzgerald. "Literally anyone can get involved and do as much or as little as they would like."

SCCAP is a flexible program that genuinely seeks to offer a means for each student to get involved.

SCCAP features four specialized departments aimed at actively participating in various social realms. These areas include Health and Disabilities; Homelessness; Education and Mentoring; and Empowerment.

The Health and Disabilities department features five different programs intended to work with people of all ages who are experiencing health issues or mental disabilities.

One such program is Best Buddies, lead by Natali Rodriguez, a volunteer opportunity in which students spend time mentoring and getting to know children who suffer from a range of developmental disorders such as ADHD, dyslexia and autism. Volunteers work in the classroom with a hands-on approach and interact with the young people in various activities. Other options include Veteran Connection, Special Olympics, Project Open Hand and Chandler Tripp, all of which feature a way to get involved in aiding those with disabilities and special needs.

Another area of interest in the SCCAP program is the fight against homelessness which affects millions of poeple across the country. In attempts to combat this, volunteers work with numerous nonprofit organizations to help those suffering from this. There was a large influx in the number of homeless individuals as a result of the recent economic down turn, thus the demand for volunteers has never been higher.

"It's easy to forget about the surrounding communities when we're in our little campus bubble," said senior SCAAP member Carolyn Chu. "SCCAP provides the means for students to see another side to the place that they decide to call home for four years."

Volunteers come together to provide assistance such as donating and supplying meals; offering tutoring and baby sitting services at local shelters; and simply getting to know those affected by homelessness. One program, New Beginnings, allows volunteers to interact with homeless women and children who are living in shelters around San Jose.

Volunteers specialize in working with the children, assisting them in their homework and more importantly, fostering relationships with the children in order to offer some sense of stability and support. This is just one example of the various programs this department has to offer. Others include: Julian Street Inn, Home Safe, CHAM and United Hands.

An additional area of support that SCCAP provides is in the area of education and mentoring. There are numerous programs that offer opportunities to work with the youth of the Santa Clara County. One such program is LUCHA. LUCHA stands for Learning in an Urban Community with High Achievement. LUCHA enables student volunteers to work with children in an underprivileged area in east side San Jose. This charter school features children predominantly from Latino backgrounds where English is their second language.

The students assist the teachers with tutoring and mentoring the children and also play with them at recess and lunch.

"When I volunteer at LUCHA, it brightens my day to have 1st graders get excited to see me and recognize that I will be there each week," said Chu, who is also the LUCHA program coordinator. "It's a really nice opportunity to get out of the rat race and hang out with six year olds and to gain a different perspective on the education system."

The SCCAP volunteers involved in this program typically work in the classroom on a weekly basis and therefore develop relationships with the students.

Not only is it a great way to help students, this program is also a great opportunity to Santa Clara students majoring in liberal studies. LUCHA provides a glimpse at what it is like to be a teacher.

"I think SCCAP in general is a way for students to really put the university's ideals to work," said Chu. "We learn about competence, conscience and compassion in classes, but to really apply it to working with the surrounding community is something that Santa Clara students should take part in."

LUCHA is just one example of the programs in the Education and Mentoring department. Others include Downtown College Prep, Kid's Club, and Sacred Heart Nativity School, all of which are geared towards bettering the lives of young children.

The final department of SCCAP is titled Empowerment. This department is made up of four programs that are devoted to establishing social justices both on and off campus. These programs include Labor Action Committee, ESL on Campus, Worker Connections and GASPED.

Moreover, the volunteers of this section of SCCAP strive to offer support to individuals of various backgrounds by providing resources necessary to succeed.

The Empowerment department focuses mainly on the global community and identifies that each person contributes to the success of the community as a whole. One of the on-campus programs is Labor Action Committee, which is lead by senior Sarah Bradley. This committee is dedicated to aiding workers not only on campus, but in our community as well.

By aiding workers of a second language, there is a sense of community and support that is established cross culturally. The main focus of Empowerment is to bind together the global community to create a culture enriched with diversity.

"SCCAP is an organization that displays Santa Clara students' constant desire to improve the surrounding community," said freshman Robert Leupp. "SCCAP embodies the ideal Santa Clara Bronco."

SCCAP promotes university ideals on a variety of levels. The promotion of social justice and the bettering of the community go hand in hand with the university's Jesuit ideals.

There are many ways to participate in SCCAP. The SCCAP office, located downstairs in Benson, has an open door policy; just stop at anytime to learn more about what SCCAP has to offer or to get involved.

Contact Alyssa Tomasello at atomasello.edu or at (408) 554-1918.