Westmont News Westmont Students and Staff Make a Difference following the Montecito Debris Flow
We thought you would enjoy reading the following article, which was written by staff writer Tyler Bradford and published in Westmont’s newspaper, the Horizon. The article grew out of his interview with Kennedy Mahdavi, the Student Community Response Team (SCRT) liaison.
Student Community Response Team Lends Helping Hand to Community
The stress upon the Montecito community in the last several months has been immense. Between the Thomas Fire and the mudslide, these natural disasters have been a significant weight on the community’s mind and conscious. Yet in the face of destruction, the community has rallied.
Students at Westmont have banded together to form the Student Community Response Team (SCRT). In the wake of the natural disasters that struck the Montecito community so particularly hard, a group of students came together to form an organization that could provide a link between students willing to help their community and disaster relief organizations.
The Horizon reached out to SCRT member Kennedy Mahdavi for comment about the beginning and structure of the young organization. In Mahdavi’s words, “The Student Community Response Team is headed up by Angela D'amour, Rebecca Boa, and about 12 student leaders. The core SCRT team is primarily involved in behind-the-scenes organization, direct communication with community outreach projects, and coordination with students.”
Despite the fact that the SCRT was formed recently, student interest is booming, and the organization itself is thriving. “Nearly 400 students have signed up to be a part of the larger SCRT, which involves receiving weekly updates about community needs and opportunities to volunteer,” said Mahdavi about the organization’s growing presence. She also stated the organization’s goal: to confront the difficulty of disasters with spirited efforts. “Ultimately, our vision is to help students process the recent disasters by channeling our energy toward some of the larger efforts to bring healing and restoration to our community. Our thoughts, prayers, and actions have already gone a long way, and there is much to be done.”
Apart from organizing and coordinating with larger aid and relief organizations in Santa Barbara, the Student Community Response Team has also provided volunteer student workers for organizations looking to help those affected by the Thomas Fire and the mudslide. In the past, they’ve been able to volunteer and help out down the road at Cold Spring Elementary School. This past weekend, the SCRT worked in conjunction with the Santa Barbara Bucket Brigade where students equipped with boots, buckets, and shovels came to help dig out homes affected by the mudslide. Mahdavi said, “We have coordinated with Bucket Brigade, Habitat for Humanity, Direct Relief, United Way, United Blood Services, the Food Bank of Santa Barbara, various local schools and churches, and other actively involved community groups.”
But the SCRT doesn’t restrict itself to helping out the greater Montecito community. Mahdavi also said that the SCRT has goals of helping the student body. “We are also working with our own athletic teams, WAC, WCSA, and administrators to put on events of our own, including a Montecito Strong Fun Run and a fundraising opportunity with Spring Sing.”
Mahdavi extended an open invitation to any students interested in joining the Student Community Response Team. “We welcome anyone who is interested in joining to email Rebecca Boa, and they will be added to the list of weekly email recipients.”
This graphic also summarizes the many ways that Westmont was Montecito Strong:
