New Jersey Bonner AmeriCorps Program

Transcription

1 New Jersey Bonner AmeriCorps Program Full-time AmeriCorps Position Hours Agency Name: HomeFront 1880 Princeton Ave, Lawrenceville, NJ Phone (609) Fax (609) homefront@homefrontnj.org Website: Overview of the Agency and Population Served: HomeFront and The Bonner Foundation have shared a special relationship for many years. The support shown by The Bonner Foundation has allowed HomeFront to grow and serve this areas poor and in need. Since its inception twenty years ago, HomeFront has worked to break the cycle of poverty and end homelessness in central New Jersey, and has served literally thousands of Mercer County families. In the past year alone, over 13,000 times, people walked through our front door looking for help. Started by volunteers providing meals for families living in welfare motels, HomeFront has developed a holistic array of services for clients who are either homeless or at high risk of becoming so. On any given night, we provide emergency shelter, transitional housing and permanent service-enriched housing to over 450 people, most of them children. Some of our many services include case management, ongoing support, emergency food, free clothing and household goods at our Free Store, affordable housing searches, job placement and readiness skills. Special programming for children includes our award-winning pre-school program, summer camp, after-school tutoring and activities, and a child Development Center. We have established wonderful collaborations with a wide range of congregations, corporations, organizations, and individuals who assist in our mission of returning families to independence. This past year, volunteers served more than 46,000 hours with HomeFront! Volunteers have worked with us to provide families with everything from food, goods and services to assistance in locating jobs and housing. Without these dedicated and caring volunteers, many of our programs, such as our week-night tutoring program and annual drives, would not be possible. There are no gimmicks. We provide extensive hands-on assistance to our families (such as intensive case management) that supports and enable them to go through the process of getting and keeping a home, setting up a household and getting

2 their bills paid. We invest our time in recruiting and training volunteers to work with families that are at-risk. HomeFront embodies an organization which utilizes all segments of the community to accomplish its mission of providing comprehensive programs which enable formerly homeless families to become independent, contributing members of the community. Position Title: Healthy Children/Families Associate Position Reports To: Rex Mangrum, Director of Youth Programs Duties and Responsibilities: The associate will serve in supporting HomeFront s Healthy Children/Families initiative. The campaign will provide complex and varied prevention activities to ensure that the children and families in the program are physically healthy and active while planning and implementing activities which engage children and families in day-to-day fitness activities. The 5 key components of this initiative are: Get Moving Campaign This component will provide complex and varied prevention activities to ensure that the children and youth in the program are physically healthy and active. Cooking and Nutrition Education This program will provide children and families with the knowledge and skills needed to develop healthy eating habits. This will include cooking classes and nutrition education. Health Education and Access The vulnerable families served by HomeFront have little meaningful access to the healthcare system. The goal of this piece is to help them become informed and empowered healthcare consumers. Healthy Relations Healthy Relations will create a methodology for children and adults to use to develop and maintain healthy interactions with others. This will address selfesteem issues, leadership development, sex education and related topics. Boys Night Out This program will give young men entering puberty a positive and constructive place where they can get their emotions and frustrations out and get answers to their questions from experienced adult mentors. Duties: Provide educational information on being physically fit Develop low cost materials to aid in the education of clients

3 Develop and maintain relationships with local corporate entities and other supporters Develop relationships with local resources to provide in-kind resources Develop programs specifically for our severely obese children and adults Develop programs specifically for our population with diabetes Develop programs to increase self-esteem and self-worth Qualifications and Experience: The applicant must be kind, empathetic, patient, responsible, confident, and assertive. They must be able to work independently as well as in a team setting. They should be creative in coming up with ideas and seeing them through to implementation. This person must be able to get along with both children and adults. The person should be computer literate with knowledge of Microsoft applications such as Word, Excel and PowerPoint. Required Training: New Jersey Bonner AmeriCorps orientation prior to the start of the term of service On-going training as determined by the staff of the New Jersey Bonner AmeriCorps Program throughout the term of service On-going training as determined by the Site Supervisor and/or Campus Director throughout the term of service Compensation: Living Allowance $24,000 Education Award $5,730; only upon successful completion of the term of service Benefits Health and Dental Benefits Childcare Benefits Loan Forbearance and Interest Accrual Benefits (if eligible) Acknowledgements: By signing this position description, the Member and the Site Supervisor or Campus Director acknowledge that the Member will not under any circumstances engage in any of the AmeriCorps Prohibited Activities listed below while charging time to the AmeriCorps program, accumulating service or training hours, or otherwise performing activities supported by the AmeriCorps program or the Corporation for National and Community Service.

4 a. Attempting to influence legislation; b. Organizing or engaging in protests, petitions, boycotts, or strikes; c. Assisting, promoting, or deterring union organizing; d. Impairing existing contracts for services or collective bargaining agreements; e. Engaging in partisan political activities, or other activities designed to influence the outcome of an election to any public office; f. Participating in, or endorsing, events or activities that are likely to include advocacy for or against political parties, political platforms, political candidates, proposed legislation, or elected officials; g. Engaging in religious instruction, conducting worship services, providing instruction as part of a program that includes mandatory religious instruction or worship, constructing or operating facilities devoted to religious instruction or worship, maintaining facilities primarily or inherently devoted to religious instruction or worship, or engaging in any form of religious proselytization; h. Providing a direct benefit to i. A business organized for profit; ii. A labor union; iii. A partisan political organization; iv. A nonprofit organization that fails to comply with the restrictions contained in section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 related to engaging in political activities or substantial amount of lobbying except that nothing in these provisions shall be construed to prevent participants from engaging in advocacy activities undertaken at their own initiative; and v. An organization engaged in the religious activities described in g above, unless CNCS assistance is not used to support those religious activities; i. Conducting a voter registration drive or using CNCS funds to conduct a voter registration drive; j. Providing abortion services or referrals for receipt of such services; and k. Such other activities as CNCS may prohibit. AmeriCorps members may not engage in the above activities directly or indirectly by recruiting, training, or managing others for the primary purpose of engaging in one of the activities listed above. Individuals may exercise their rights as private citizens and may participate in the activities listed above on their initiative, on non-

5 AmeriCorps time, and using non-cncs funds. Individuals should not wear the AmeriCorps logo while doing so. By signing this position description, the Member, the Site Supervisor or Campus Director and New Jersey Bonner AmeriCorps Program Staff hereby acknowledge by their signatures that they have read, understand, and agree to the terms of this position description. By signing this position description, the Site Supervisor or Campus Director certifies that this AmeriCorps position does not displace or duplicate the duties of a paid employee. Print Name: NJ Bonner AmeriCorps Member Signature: NJ Bonner AmeriCorps Member Print Name: Site Supervisor or Campus Director Signature: Site Supervisor or Campus Director Print Name: NJ Bonner AmeriCorps Program Staff Signature: NJ Bonner AmeriCorps Program Staff