COMCorps Position: FANS Coordinator

We are excited to announce we will once again be a placement site for COMCorps, an AmeriCorps program housed with OU-HCOM’s Community Health Programs.

The COMCorps member will serve our agency by helping people with intellectual and developmental disabilities connect to their communities, develop friendships, and live healthy lifestyles. Our Service and Supports division is the case management arm and helps individuals served identify and hire providers, achieve outcomes and goals, and write service plans. Often, people with disabilities are isolated from other people living in the community and have trauma histories. People with disabilities also have worse health than the general population, with a 57% greater likelihood of being obese. Through helping individuals with disabilities connect to people in the community and get involved with healthy activities, we can help people with disabilities reduce trauma symptoms and have better, healthier lives.

The specific position the COMCorps member will fill is as our FANs Coordinator. FANs stands for Friends, Allies, and Neighbors. The coordinator will assist people with intellectual and developmental disabilities make friends, volunteer, and join clubs or groups throughout Athens County. The FANs Coordinator will identify and cultivate partnerships, match individuals served to volunteer and join groups and clubs, and help individuals served have roles in the community that match their skills and interests, which allows them to be healthier. We also believe that when people with disabilities are integrated in every day life and sharing their skills and abilities, the community is better off, too.

The FANs Coordinator should be outgoing, willing to work with individuals to develop social skills and interests, and be a forward-thinker who can continue to develop the position.

Length of service: August 2018 – July 2019
Average number of hours each week: 32

Position Description:

70% Assist with helping people with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities meet people in the community to become friends, find volunteer opportunities, and join clubs (focusing on healthy living skills) that match their interests through:

-Taking people to places they are interested in and helping individuals we serve to connect

-Setting up volunteer and group/club opportunities for individuals served by the County Board
10% Community Mapping: Develop new community supports by meeting people in the community, presenting to OU students and other civic groups. Map results into database.
10% Help organize and improve FANs database on an ongoing basis.
10% Follow up with people who have become friends to evaluate program and provide feedback to County Board staff and FANs Core Group

Outcomes of position:
– Help 60 individuals served make connections with new friends/clubs/groups/ongoing volunteer experiences
– Post to social media weekly highlighting program and connections
– Put out quarterly 2 page newsletter detailing work
– Grow CORE group to 8 committed members who meet monthly
– Grow database from 150 people to 500 people surveyed
– Develop post-survey to measure satisfaction with FANs program

Qualifications and Experience:
Best candidate would:
– Have connections in Athens County and know the area
– Be knowledgeable of clubs and activities
– Be willing to make connections and network
– Have college diploma in marketing, social work, or related field
– Have strong organizational skills
– Have good self-starting abilities
– Effective communication skills to teach self-advocacy

For consideration, apply directly with the COMCorps program by clicking here.
For questions, contact Davey McNelly at 740-541-9626, dmcnelly@athenscbdd.org or Eric Long at (740) 593-0171, longe@ohio.edu.