Calling all heroes! Kick off for this unique giving opportunity begins on March 1 and ends the 31. Join the SCRC in Match Madness! 

For the fourth year, the Shippensburg Community Resource Coalition (SCRC) has been involved in the Match Madness Partnership. Match Madness is an incentive program that supports non-profit organizations in raising funds to support needs and initiatives. With a stretch fund gift incentive of $150,000 from the Partnership for Better Health, M&T Bank, Josiah W. and Bessie H. Kline Foundation, and McCormick Family Foundation, please use this opportunity to give more, give wisely and help advance the SCRC’s mission. SCRC will be engaging with our community to share the importance of giving for the month of March.  

The Shippensburg Community Resource Coalition (SCRC) started in 2010 to respond to the need to help the community find and utilize social services. SCRC is an effort to connect residents with resources and create programs that will meet their needs. MSW Intern and Shippensburg University Alum Ted Chylack has been very involved with the SCRC, particularly the Grey Matter Program.

“One of the things I love about the SCRC is that they know everything. There’s no stopping them,” Chylack said. It is important for the community to feel safe and have easy access to quality social services to reach their full potential. The programs and services that are provided include youth programs and food insecurity services.

Support to the Hound Packs program will help bridge the food gap students in the Shippensburg Area School District (SASD) experience on the weekends. Volunteers get together and collect donations and bag an average of 160 bags each week. Last year, this program distributed 5,482 bags of food and delivered it personally every Thursday to schools and homes.

Match Madness will stretch the donated funds to enhance the Summer Learning Program and other youth programs. The Summer Learning Program is a free, seven-week initiative for youth entering first through 12th grade. Youth are provided with breakfast, lunch and activities such as lessons on healthy lifestyle choices and educational field trips.

There are 3 youth school programs:

Healthy Decision-Making Group

Master of Social Work Intern Jennifer Harfst, and Master of Science in Counseling graduate assistant Neysa Thomas facilitate this group as a safe place for all seventh-grade students at Shippensburg Area Middle School (SAMD) to freely discuss any concerns and challenges in their lives. They are able to process this shared information and help each other make healthy decisions.

“Be Kind.” Campaign

The SCRC and a middle school counselor, Angie McKee, worked with the students to develop the “be kind.” campaign. A “be kind.” calendar was created for the school and community to encourage them to participate in daily kindness challenges and events. Some of those events are decorating windows with kind words, going to Shippensburg University to paint kindness rocks with the students, along with much more.

Grey Matter

This is a free, six-week school-based prevention program for Shippensburg Area Senior High School (SASHS) students that are experiencing lack of motivation, challenges, stresses, sadness and irritation. SASHS students have a safe place to come and meet with others that can relate to their struggles. Building group trust, increasing involvement in fun activities, learning and practicing new ways of thinking, and creating plans or ideas to respond to life stressors are the exercises that take place. Youth take the CES-D, a depression measurement tool before and after the group, and last year’s results showed 63% of students had an improved depressed affect score.

Chylack has co-facilitated these sessions and enjoyed working directly with the students. “I think Grey Matter is a great program because it lets students talk about issues where they may not be able to do so anywhere else,” Chylack said. He has seen extreme mood improvement and positive effects just by implementing this program in school.

Anything a community member needs, the SCRC is there. This coalition has it all. For students at the university, SCRC has provided a bridge for building community-university relationships as well. This center of excellence is a place for students to intern and enhance their experience. Giving back to this amazing non-profit is something worth considering. Match Madness supports the community and celebrates philanthropy and generosity! SCRC is asking for your support, no matter what your giving level. Every gift, large or small, will make a difference and huge impact. Your generosity will directly improve the lives of our community members by ensuring continuing to run these services and programs that support their needs.

If you would like to give toward the SCRC’s Match Madness Partnership, the link will be in their Instagram bio or on their website. Regarding any questions contact SCRC Coordinator Sonja Payne (sp-scrc@shipresources.org) or SCRC Board of Directors Chair Liz Fisher (eafish@ship.edu).

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