social capital noun. the value of our social networks & relationships

Ripple Effects

Published by David Crowley on

If you look back over SCI’s 20 years, you can see how one effort can have powerful ripple effects over time.

Back in 2016, responding to a wave of police murders of Black men across the country, SCI organized a WoburnUnites vigil, partnering with St. John’s Baptist Church and Mayor Scott Galvin. We followed that with a race & diversity dialogue series. The participants were mostly adults, and a handful of students.

The students appreciated the experience but wanted something similar with their peers. Supported by SCI AmeriCorps members and teachers, they held a student dialogue on race and diversity. One discussion is clearly not enough, which these young leaders realized quickly!

The Woburn High embRACE Club was formed. embRACE continues to be a thriving group of youth passionate about social and racial justice. SCI has enjoyed partnering with the Club’s student leaders over the years. 

In fact, that is how we met Kafui (pronounced kuh-fwee), when she represented embRACE as a speaker at the 2021 Juneteenth Woburn event. (If you get mail from us, you may recognize Kafui’s name!)

Today we are sharing a story where we got to see this happen. Your gift today will help SCI respond quickly to community needs, creating even more ripple effects for the future.

This summer, Kafui got involved with another SCI program. Leaders for an Equitable Tomorrow (LET) helped her build skills in teamwork, leadership, and project management. Kafui shared that SCI gave her a great foundation, and the confidence to move forward.

The ripple effect of what LET accomplished this summer is just getting started. Others will be inspired to take action in understanding and improving their own mental health, and to help others. (We would bet that you will see another story, in a few years, that started with LET’s efforts!)

With a gift today, you are joining SCI in investing in more young people – like Kafui and thousands of others- that want to make an impact in their communities. By supporting SCI, you are providing tools, guidance, and resources to put their ideas into action. 

Your gift will help us reach our goal of raising $30,000 by the end of this year and support growing this effort, expanding existing programs, reaching more communities, and starting more ripples.


David Crowley

David Crowley founded SCI in Woburn, his hometown, in 2002. Under his leadership, SCI has grown to serve 20 communities in the region while continuing to make a difference in Woburn. Prior to SCI, David was the Executive Director of Boston-based Generations Inc. (now Literations). He has been involved in AmeriCorps since the program began in 2003, and served as the founding Director of the Kentucky Community Service Commission, which oversees the program for the state. David currently serves as Steering Committee Chair for the CHNA 15 regional healthy communities network. David graduated from Harvard University with a degree in Government. Unsure of his long term plans, and after many service activities in college, David set out to do a year of service in rural Kentucky, which began his career in service! In his free time, he enjoys cooking for his family, reading and walking nearby Horn Pond. He also shares his kitchen creations on his food & wine blog, Cooking Chat.

1 Comment

Social Capital: What is it and Why is it important? – SCI Social Capital Inc. · December 27, 2022 at 11:29 am

[…] week, David talked about the ripple effects of our work. Each connection can spark an idea, a relationship, and more that will improve our […]

Comments are closed.