CSU Magazine
Bernie Mazyck ’81 helped found the South Carolina Association for Community Economic Development in 1994. He is currently the president and CEO of SCACED. Previously, he worked with a number of local grassroots nonprofit organizations who were working in low-income communities trying to help them develop affordable housing, create jobs, start businesses, and attract capital to create economic opportunities for the residents. These organizations recognized there needed to be a statewide organization that could assist them in succeeding in their work, and the result was the creation of SCACED.
Mazyck is a native of Summerville where he currently lives and worships at Murray United Methodist Church. He is an ordained deacon in the S.C. Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church, serving as the Convener of the Advocacy Work Area at the state level as well as the Charleston District level and is currently helping roll out a Response to Racism effort.
Calling to Help Low-Income
My work with SCACED is rooted in a calling to help the poor. My guiding and calling Scriptures are Isaiah 61:1 and Luke 4:16. “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor…” Even before the formation of SCACED, I worked for Coastal Community Foundation, leading a program called The NEW Fund. This program was established to work with and help empower low-income and African American neighborhood leaders to improve the conditions of their community. Our tools were leadership development, small grants, and connecting them to decision makers and funders. The most important and hardest efforts were to convince residents in low-income communities that they were worthy of a better life, and that they could play a significant role in changing the systems that keep them oppressed. This is “The Good News to the Poor…” SCACED grew out of our work at CCF and spread throughout the state.