James “Scottie” and Rachelle Scott
As James “Scottie” Scott and wife Rachelle well know, being an adolescent is hard, but being an adolescent who’s disadvantaged can be even harder.
Some live on the streets. Others nestle at night in a family car. Some live inside a home but go hungry because the family can’t afford food. Yet others lack proper care or guidance or have been abandoned entirely.
Whatever the circumstance, Team Scott Inspire is set to, well, inspire disadvantaged youth like these across the capital region. Scottie and Rachelle founded the nonprofit organization five years ago as a project of the Foundation for Enhancing Communities, their fiscal sponsor.
“They’re all facing some form of adversity,” Rachelle noted. “Some of our students are transient. Some live in cars.”
“But we never use the word homeless to them,” Scottie quickly interjected. “That word creates a stigma. Homelessness has many different circumstances behind it.”
The Scotts’ volunteer team of 15 to 30 serves under a motto, “Team Scott Inspire has the Desire to Inspire Kindness in the community.” The team’s purpose is “uniting community as one family to inspire kindness while raising funds to help youth facing adversity stay in school,” according to the organization’s website.
Scottie and Rachelle first stepped up as community volunteers in late 2015, accompanied by their 10—yes, 10—children. At that time, Scottie recalled, the couple wanted their children to learn the importance of giving back to their community. It all took off from there.
The family first set out offering random acts of kindness throughout the community, such as distributing unexpected gifts to passersby. That led to volunteering at numerous community outreach events such as the Special Olympics, Color Run, Ronald McDonald House, Suits to Careers and more.
The family’s touchstone event, however, was participating in We Feed Philly. There, Scottie recalls, they encountered a 15-year-old already forced to live on the streets after revealing their sexual orientation to family. That was just one of many similar tales the Scotts heard that day.
“There were hundreds and hundreds of homeless in line waiting to be fed,” Scottie recalled. “Our son Lameck, who was only 4 years old, just dove right in before anyone to help.”
Returning home, Scottie and Rachelle began researching youth homelessness in Dauphin County. They soon discovered “a silent epidemic” in place right around them in Harrisburg and beyond.
Team Scott Inspire started out working with high school students in the city school district. There, Scottie and Rachelle initiated the S.A.S, or Students Achieving Success, program. With this, students “facing adversity” in grades 9 to 12 are invited to outreach “lunch and learn sessions” held throughout the school year.
The S.A.S sessions, now in other local schools, feature motivational speakers in a format that help high-schoolers develop life skills and explore local educational and vocational opportunities, The program encourages disadvantaged students to complete high school and transition to adult success.
A Saturday S.A.S. is held for local youth the fourth Saturday of each month from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Salvation Army Harrisburg. A junior SAS also is in the works this school year for grades six to eight. For the time being, though, sessions are cancelled until further notice due to the pandemic.
Team Scott Inspire also spreads kindness to the general community through “Kindness Korner.” For this, team volunteers take to the streets to converse and hand out treats to passersby. Likewise, it’s now on pandemic hold.
Another team effort, IN-TENTS Night Out, was initiated in November 2019 as a fundraiser promoting homeless youth awareness. For a donation, patrons tented overnight in autumn’s chill on FNB Field on City Island, though the 2020 event had to be cancelled.
Quarantining aside, Rachelle estimated their team has reached “hundreds” of young people throughout the area over the past five years.
“I think the most challenging part through all this has been getting people to believe this program works,” Scottie reflected. “Some kids have a wall that makes them harder to reach. That’s one of the toughest challenges.”
Horace White, a 2019 graduate of John Harris High School, is one of many young adults who Scottie and Rachelle’s team has reached over the years. He tackled academics and varsity football while at John Harris as he and his father cared for his mother during an illness.
While in high school, White was not only mentored by the Scotts but also served as a volunteer for their team. Twice a month, he took to the streets of Harrisburg distributing food to the hungry. Today, he’s earning a biology degree at Georgia Military College and planning a career in the U.S. Marines.
“I would refer (Team Scott Inspire) to kids who even aren’t going through a hard time,” White said. “I really love Mr. and Mrs. Scott and their son Lameck, who treated me like a brother. They treated us like family and were always there to talk to us.”
For more information or to volunteer, visit Team Scott Inspire at www.teamscottinspire.com or on Facebook.
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