Parallel in purpose

“I won the lottery ONLY once in my life back in the early 1970s, and that’s when they were pulling numbers for the draft,” said Jim Scanlon ’69, reflecting on his sudden start in the Army.

The next 34 years entailed active duty, New Jersey Army National Guard and inactive ready reserve. Thrust into the experience, he was absorbing as much as he could. He would go on to apply what he learned to helping veterans in need of housing along with a fellow Flyer whose UD experience differed by decades but was parallel in purpose. 

His start in the Army prepared him well for what lay ahead. “You go in at the age of 22 and have responsibility for the health and welfare of hundreds of people. You can’t get that kind of job in corporate America,” he said. “You grow up quickly when you have that kind of responsibility and leadership.”

On top of all of those responsibilities, Scanlon took the time to mentor challenging guardsmen teetering on the brink of dismissal and helped them grow.

These leadership experiences combined with his social work degree from UD helped Scanlon discover his true nature as a people person who produces results. He ran a consulting business in New York City, headhunting executives for Fortune 500 companies, including L’Oreal, Avon and Estée Lauder. When he retired, he was ready to pay forward what he calls his “winnings.”

“I want to be able to give back for all the things [the military has] done for me,” Scanlon said.

“I want to be able to give back for all the things [the military has] done for me.”

For the last eight years, Scanlon has been working with homeless and at-risk veterans in New Jersey through the American Legion, and he recently narrowed his focus to building housing. 

Then fate took over. Scanlon was introduced to a man who was also focused on veteran homelessness in the area. As they began to work together, they realized they had another commonality — they were both Flyers.

While Scanlon was seeking American Legions in need of housing repair, Joe Mindak ’95 was helping rebuild and add apartments to a veteran’s hall a few counties over. On the surface, Mindak appeared to be fixing two-year-old damage from Hurricane Sandy through fundraising efforts as Hoboken Rotary Club president. What he was really doing was connecting the dots. 

Connecting is also in his formal job title; as chief connector of The Connective, a membership-based networking platform, he helps more than 200 members improve and grow their businesses through their connections to each other. He also successfully grew a magazine, a brewery and other ventures with his leadership and bridge-building skills.

Even as an undergraduate student, he was acknowledged for his engagement. He received UD’s John E. Riley Award his junior year for sustained leadership, having exemplified the educational and service values of the University and Marianists.

“For me, it’s putting pieces together of a puzzle and connecting — or connecting to — dots. I was always connecting people, whether for business, social or whatever. I just love putting people together,” Mindak said. “Or, getting a conversation started and letting it build to things, like how I met Jim.”

After realizing they were working on the same mission, Mindak decided they could pull it all together and started the Foundation for Sustainable Veteran Housing. Mindak, the foundation’s executive director, asked Scanlon to be the veterans relations chair. 

Despite a nearly 30-year difference in their experiences at UD, Mindak believes their common roots in Marianist education helped them connect quickly and get to work even faster. 

In two years, they have completed one project and started on facilities in four counties to provide housing to about 70 veterans.

“We’re going to build in every county in New Jersey over the next 10 years,” Mindak said. “We’ll build 400 to 500 units. With 570-something homeless vets in New Jersey, we could really put a big dent in this.”

Mindak and Scanlon are also building a playbook on how to do this work so they can share it with others. They hope their dedication and the Flyer spirit in others might connect some bigger dots, and maybe — just maybe — help house veterans across the country.

To learn more on the Foundation for Sustainable Veteran Housing, visit www.fsvh.org.

Illustration by Dan Zettwoch.