Reach Out Program To Honor Albany Community & Spiritual Leader

Earlier this year, New York State lost one of it's shining stars. Community and spiritual leader Rev. Kenneth Scott of Watervliet passed away peacefully in his sleep on March 31, 2024. A dear friend of Ken's, Joan Horgan, is honoring Ken by organizing a volunteer service outreach mission looking to benefit folks in the Albany area, similar to the missions that she and Ken had done together for years.

Remembering Ken Scott

This Reach Out in Honor of Ken Scott is honoring a particular individual who was instrumental to the service and mentoring of others throughout New York for the last several decades. Ken had a vibrant and warm personality and connected deeply with people from all walks of life, through his work as a pastor and his decades of community service.

Ken started his career in the mail room at the College of Saint Rose in 1990, also working in the Educational Media department for several years before becoming Director of Community Service with the Office of Spiritual Life in 2001. For 20 years, he mentored hundreds of students in this role, coordinating delegations to learn and volunteer across the Capital District and across the U.S. Ken was a dedicated teacher not only in modeling charitable works but also in encouraging young people to seek out and address the root causes of injustice and inequality. He was deeply committed to climate justice, poverty eradication, ending racism and peace building at home and abroad.

Those who knew Ken will always remember his passion for life, fun, adventure, community, friendship and family. He loved camping, hiking, and canoeing in the Adirondacks, playing basketball and rooting for the Celtics, singing and playing the guitar, taking long walks with his dog, reveling in his Scottish heritage, and cheering on the accomplishments of his children and grandchildren.

Joan Horgan said,

...[In] the midst of a lot of missing of Ken (for those who knew him), I had the thought it might be a nice way to honor his memory by bringing us back into some endeavor of service with some of the community partners he had connected to [the Capital Region].

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As someone who did missions with Ken and Joan for 4 years, I can tell you that it was an amazing opportunity to help the community. First of all, it was so cool to know that teams were helping out all over the region. In my four years, I helped garden at historic sites, cook meals for the less fortunate, instruct children's programs, and sort clothes for donation. With just a little bit of man power, it was incredible to see what could get done.

When is the Reach Out in Honor of Ken Scott?

The Reach Out in Honor of Ken Scott will be held Saturday, September 21st. Volunteers will be asked to meet at the Stuyvesant Plaza parking lot any time after 8:30 to buy a bagel and coffee at Uncommon Grounds. Then on your own or in groups, folks will drive to some locations in Albany to help out from 10am - 12:30pm. Afterwards, everyone will meet up at Fidens Brewing Company on Broadway to connect, laugh and share good memories.

So far the service options include: the Underground Railroad Project, Myers Middle School Vegetable Teaching/Learning Garden, Ronald McDonald House and pending The Red Bookshelf. A couple of more are pending. Family and friends are welcome! Here is the link to sign up.

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/409094EA8A72EA2FD0-50984608-reach

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