Celebrating Community Action Month: CCAP Community Based Teams Staff Spotlights
Claire has been with Rural Resources for just over two years, growing from a Case Manager into her current role as Lead Case Manager while continuing to support program participants directly. Her work focuses on helping individuals find and sustain safe, stable housing—often while navigating a wide range of additional needs such as healthcare access, transportation, and essential documentation.
“Our program is member-led,” Claire says. “That means we work together on a broad variety of goals and tasks with members, such as securing documents, filling out applications, applying for benefits, addressing medical concerns and access to transportation.”
What stands out most in Claire’s work is her focus on creating a sense of safety. She shared that many individuals experiencing poverty have spent extended periods in survival mode, and that being able to listen, show genuine care, and help build stability can be transformative. For Claire, the most meaningful moments come when people begin to feel safe enough to move forward—when new possibilities open up and long‑term healing can begin.
Jennie brings a similar level of care and dedication to her work in the Health Homes Program, where she has served for over eight years, now as a Lead Care Coordinator. Jennie’s role as a Lead has expanded beyond helping program members to “providing support, guidance and training to other Care Coordinators, which is honestly kind of the best part,” Jennie says. “Our care coordinators are nothing short of amazing!” Her leadership ensures other Care Coordinators have the tools and support to empower program participants to take charge of their healthcare through advocacy, education, and connection to resources.
Her work takes a whole‑person approach, recognizing that health is influenced by far more than medical care alone. From housing and employment to transportation and community support, Jennie helps address the social determinants of health that shape overall well‑being.
Jennie shared that one of the most meaningful aspects of her work is being part of a team of individuals who are deeply committed to making a difference. She emphasized that Community Action work is not about recognition, but about the quiet, meaningful progress that happens when someone is supported in moving forward—even in small ways. That steady progress, she noted, is what makes the work so rewarding.
Though their work is challenging and remains focused on the stability of program participants, Jennie and Claire added the voluminous study material to obtain their CCAP to their plates with a shared devotion to learning more about the history and purpose of Community Action. Jennie, who graduated with her Master of Social Work degree in 2022, says she was hungry to continue her learning journey, citing her passion to “find ways to create a more equitable society with life-changing programs and opportunities, which is what community action is all about.”
Claire echoes a similar passion for understanding the goal of ending poverty and the political movements that drive the Community Action movement. “I’m a history and politics nerd at heart and I love understanding the “why” behind what I do,” she says.
With each carrying a full workload, these women admit they relied heavily on CCAP study groups and support from Rural Resources leaders and Community Action mentors to help them overcome the sheer volume of study material provided by National Community Action Partnership (NCAP) to obtain this certification. We are pleased to help them with this journey and proud to see the greater impact of their work.
This certification has reinforced the connection between Jennie’s and Claire’s daily work and the broader goal of ending poverty. Jennie stresses that “being a CCAP, rather than just holding the certification, has enriched [her] professional life immeasurably by providing a deeper sense of purpose to [her] work.
For Claire, the impact has been equally meaningful: “Grounding my day-to-day work in the goal of ending poverty has been foundational for me. When I am working with a member, my focus is long-term stability and empowerment, rather than short-term change.”
