My CCAP Journey

By Rand Clark

Twelve years ago, I found myself unemployed, on the verge of losing my home to foreclosure and wondering what I was going to do with the rest of my life. It felt like none of my experience, degrees or training were providing any real value as I looked to figure out my next steps. 

Through some partnerships I had created, working for a nonprofit in Castle Rock, I had been serving on the Tripartite Board for the previous three years. We had just completed our Community Action Plan and had decided to use our CSBG funds to hire a part time Community Navigator to strengthen our local network of care. Little did I realize how this would change my life.
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Fast forward about 6 months, I was still struggling to find steady employment. I was working a number of part time and odd jobs, just trying make ends meet. I was able to sell my home to avoid foreclosure but had no income to secure a new placed to live. Then, one evening I received a phone call from a friend. 

“Remember that Community Navigator position we created through CSBG funds 6 months ago? We just posted the position. Would you be interested in applying for the job?”

Well, that phone call changed my life and altered the trajectory of my career. A few weeks later I had a new opportunity, a cubicle, and the responsibility to strengthen the system of care in my community to support our vulnerable residents.
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I will tell you this, on the surface, there was nothing I learned in college or grad school that was going to help me. I had no experience in social work or grant management. I barely knew how to write a formula in excel, much less generate an annual report or create an action plan. What I did know is that I had an opportunity to help and make a difference in people’s lives. I just had to figure out what I was doing.

Being engaged in the work of CSBG, learning from my peers, and studying the rich history of the Community Action has been instrumental to my personal and professional development. When I started in my new role, I barely knew what CSBG stood for, had no clue what Community Action meant or even what a CCAP was. 
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I want to use this space over the coming months to share what Community Action and being a Certified Community Action Professional means to me. Each of our stories is unique but, I am hopeful that in our common desire to see people’s lives transformed, you will be encouraged. I hope it sparks a renewed desire for you to learn more, serve more and that together, we can help change lives!