Northport Man Talks Founding LI Buddy Club, Creating Podcast

NORTHPORT, NY — Paul Scancarelli was dealt a rough hand early in life when he was choked by an umbilical cord and sustained minor brain damage as a result. Fast-forward 26 years, and Scancarelli not only overcame that experience, but he parlayed it into helping others.

Scancarelli, 26, of Northport, grew up with a learning disability as a result of what happened in the womb. He learned in smaller classrooms, required the resource room, tutoring and a lot of extra support. That led to him being bullied more than the average kid, he said.

"As you can imagine, for any young adult, it affects your confidence, the way you view yourself, the way you view the world and interact," Scancarelli told Patch.

His experiences drove him to participate in volunteer work, which ultimately led him to shift his mindset and view his disability in a more positive light. Now, armed with the moniker "Paul Vibes," he hopes to help others accomplish the same, doing so through his podcast, not-for-profit organization he founded and motivational speaking.

The Long Island Buddy Club, originally founded as the Northport Buddy Club in 2011, has reached over 400 young adults across the island, Scancarelli said. Last November, he launched The People's Podcast, a YouTube-based show he plans to expand to iTunes. The goal of both is to aid young adults with special needs by providing inspiration or a fun activity to engage in, though the methods vary.

Scancarelli's projects stem back to his school years. He joined a Northport High School club called "Project Tolerance," where he volunteered at places such as the Northport Veterans Affairs Hospital. Scancarelli called volunteer work the "big turning point" that put him on his current life path. From there, he began supporting fellow students who he felt were struggling and needed to overcome a challenge.

"Whether it was physical, mental or bullying, I was able to be a mentor to other kids in the school," he said.

He would approach anyone he saw sitting alone in the cafeteria and drum up a conversation, encouraging him or her to get involved in a club or meet new friends. These efforts culminated in Scancarelli earning the Principal’s Award before he graduated.

Once high school ended, Scancarelli said he witnessed a lot of his friends who had special needs lose outlets such as clubs and special programs, making it harder for them to forge new friendships and connections. Wanting to do something, Scancarelli organized meet-ups at cafes, movie theaters and bowling alleys. Every weekend, he'd call the same handful of young adults and plan a gathering under the Northport Buddy Club banner.

However, people from other towns learned about the events. It became difficult for Scancarelli to call 15 to 20 people each weekend, so he created an email list, followed by a website, and eventually a not-for-profit. This led to the transition into the Long Island Buddy Club. Eventually, at the end of summer 2019, Scancarelli opted to complete a merger with Positive Behavior Support Community Foundation, a charitable organization.

It opened his schedule to focus on his schooling at Adelphi University, where he's pursuing a bachelor's degree in social work; he then intends to remain at Adelphi for his master's in the same field. It also allowed him to launch The People's Podcast late last year.

"I said to myself, ‘How cool would it be to have guests come on from the community to share the positive things they’re doing with the community, to share their stories and challenges they’ve overcome'?" Scancarelli said.

Scancarelli has two or three people on per week to discuss their organization, business or thing they do in their community. But he tries to get deeper than that with each guest.

"I want to really find out who this person is. What inspires them? What gets them out of bed in the morning? What motivates them? What challenges have they been through that led them to do the things they’re doing in their lives? Whether it’s someone who’s overcome a disability or someone who’s overcome other challenges in their life, I want them to feel comfortable talking about those things on the air."

Guests can include a performer aiming to inspire others through music or poetry, or someone who overcame an addiction. Giving these people a platform is "surreal," Scancarelli said.

Traditionally, Scancarelli invites guests to the studio in his Northport home, partially designed by his friend, Johnny Papa, who goes by SacredTreeometry on Instagram; a custom yin yang table, backdrop, shelves and peace sign were made by the wood artist.

With the coronavirus pandemic going on, podcast interviews have been conducted over Zoom instead. Once an episode is filmed, "Paul Vibes" does some editing and then uploads it. Uploads are currently done sporadically and not by interval, as Scancarelli balances his schooling, the Long Island Buddy Club, acting as a board member on the PBS Community Foundation and caring for his 3-year-old son.

He also does motivational speeches at Special Education PTA meetings, school clubs, libraries, etc.

"My goal as a motivational speaker is to have young adults look at their challenges in a more productive and positive way," Scancarelli said. "To shift the way they look at their perceived challenges and try to find a silver lining. I give them tools and mindsets to help them interact with the world and deal with the challenges that come their way. Everyone’s life is unique, and everyone’s challenges are unique to them. My mission as a speaker is through my stories and tools that I give them, is to give them a different outlook."

While Scancarelli had to halt in-person speeches due to the virus, he's been giving Zoom talks to high schools and special needs organizations.

With the coronavirus outbreak still impacting Long Island, the PBS Community Foundation has been adversely affected, Scancarelli said. So have the people it serves.

"With funding and not being able to socialize, the special needs community has been hit hard by this," he said.

The Long Island Buddy Club and PBS Community Foundation have been organizing fundraisers to help stay afloat, but Scancarelli recognizes the coronavirus outbreak is a financially-stressful time for everyone.

For those who feel they'd like to ask Scancarelli to give a speech and are looking for someone capable of connecting with school-age young adults, he encouraged them to email him at info@paulvibes.com.