Meet CCI member Bob Scrivner
 Bob
Scrivner and his wife, Sue, and three daughters live on Des Moines’
northeast side in the Union Park Neighborhood. Bob is a Supervisor
in the Support Processing Department at Automatic Data Processing,
Inc (ADP). He is very involved in the Des Moines community and has
been actively involved in CCI since 2003.
Bob enjoys helping out at his church, where
he and his wife are co-chairs of the outreach committee. He also
is Vice-President of Rebuilding Together – Greater Des Moines,
a non-profit organization that repairs elderly, low-income homeowners’
houses at no cost. When he’s not busy with his other activities
and spending time with his family, Bob is very committed to CCI’s
Fair Lending Task Force and serving on the Des Moines CCI Board
as treasurer.
How did
you get involved with CCI?
A couple years ago, our former mortgage company, owed us about $1,000
– we felt ripped off. Thanks to the great research and work
of CCI staff and members, we were invited to a meeting. I knew that
bringing a lawsuit against Fairbanks was not worth the money that
they owed us, so when CCI said they thought I could see a refund
if I joined, I signed up that night. We got our refund in less than
90 days.
What has
kept you involved?
I decided to keep coming to meetings because there were other people
who joined that still needed help. The adrenaline from going to
the meetings and organizing is so powerful – I feel that if
we act together, we can accomplish anything. I also love the actions
when a target is being unresponsive. I wish I could take the excitement
from these actions and bottle it! I would feel powered up again
to do anything I set my mind to – that is what I like about
CCI. When we set out to organize, we decide what we want and how
we are going to get it. I have yet to participate in an action that
didn’t get what we set out to do.
Why do
you think CCI’s diverse membership is important?
Foremost - education. I will be the first to admit that if you turned
the clock back two years and I was asked to sit in a meeting that
was translated into another language, I would have said something
like, “You live here – speak English.” But today,
I have become more open-minded and understanding of other cultures.
I think that if more people listened to what the needs and wants
are of our Latino neighbors here in Des Moines, the city would be
better for it. I have taken the education I received from being
a part of CCI and utilized it in many scenarios, encouraging people
to learn more about immigrants and to join CCI.
Second, it’s the mixing bowl full
of members and staff that makes CCI great. The reason I care about
all the issues CCI works on is the people. I know that when fellow
members need me to go to an action for family farms or clean water,
etc, that my presence will make a difference. I also know that rural,
Latino and other statewide members will be there when we need their
presence for a Des Moines issue.
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