Building a Bright Future!

There were two exciting events that took place in May and they are both a culmination of work by SCCAP's Board and Staff.  In a time when the focus of many non-profit agencies is to pull in, to try and insulate yourself from the difficult times, we have chosen a different path.

In May, we turned in our application for the Pennsylvania Association of Non-Profit Organizations(PANO) Standard of Excellence Certification and received our preliminary feedback.  This was the culmination of nearly two year's work of looking at the administrative, governance and programmatic infrastructure of our organization.  It has been a labor intensive and learning process that is allowing us to stretch, think further and become a much better and stronger organization.  While incredibly time consuming, it has been a wonderfully invigorating process.  It helped us take a fresh look at things and see through different eyes.  The first round of feedback was quite good - kudos to our staff and board.  And while the certification, when it is received, will be fantastic.  What is really, really valuable is the work, insight and improvement that took place through the process!

Secondly, in May, SCCAP’s Opportunity Fund for South Central Community Action Programs, an endowment fund through the Adams County Community Foundation was recognized as a new endowment fund.  This is also such an important step for us.  This is a fund designed to help us meet our mission of empowering families and engaging the community to pursue innovative solutions to break the cycle of poverty, well into the future.  It is a stance of hope and faith, it is investing in our future and this important work that helps support the social infrastructure of Adams and Franklin Counties.  We are committed, for the long term, in helping families in our local communities reach their potential. 

As I write this, the faces of families and individuals like Cara, Becky, Bill, Camille, and Andrew come to mind.  Brilliant individuals who wanted a better life and were willing to work hard to get it, but were stuck in a cycle and system that holds people in poverty.  They have, or are in the process of, working their way out of poverty and are giving back along the way.  Their contributions are immense and some of their work and experiences have made it into the State GOP's policy committee’s plans to work on poverty, led by Rep. Dave Reed. An amazing accomplishment!

Our work, over the last few years, is an investment in SCCAP's future, but more importantly it is a renewed commitment to do more, to do it better, and to help more local families reach their potential.  That work builds thriving families for a vibrant community.  Please join us!