IL and Recreation Specialist JV

A Day in the Life of the JV/AmeriCorps Member: Briefly check in with colleagues, review emails, and phone messages. Support a senior in finding affordable housing. Help her fill out applications for two housing programs. Walk a few blocks and assist her in submitting a completed application. Loan a wheelchair and a shower stool to someone for their father, who recently had a stroke. Check in on a knee scooter that was returned after someone recovered from ankle surgery. Give free bus passes to a man living in a tent so he can attend a doctor’s appointment and go shopping. Spend some time with your supervisor to learn how to assist students seeking employment services. Have a video conference with all SAIL staff in Southeast Alaska. Meet new staff members, make team decisions, share information, and tell jokes. Enjoy lunch. Prepare for a hike. Pack a backpack and make reminder calls. Five consumers arrive for the hike, and you load the accessible bus. John always brings music for the ride. He never uses his voice, and you both seem to communicate just fine. Jane rides up the lift and parks her walker in the back. Sally rides the lift in her electric wheelchair. Stan and Phil are all smiles. Stan shows you his favorite hat and shares a story about who gave it to him. You and a volunteer lead a hike along the estuary boardwalk trail. The salmon are running, and everyone talks about the fishing trip from last week. You all enjoy a snack in the pavilion. You share a specially prepared snack with Kathy, who has dietary restrictions. You drive everyone home and park the bus at the office. Complete some record-keeping and then head home to your community mates. 

Essential Tasks:

35% -  Assist seniors and individuals with disabilities in achieving goals for personal independence. Duties may include, but are not limited to, providing training for employment preparation in a high school setting, offering job coaching at sites for people with disabilities, helping veterans access in-home personal care attendants, loaning durable medical equipment, providing referrals to partner organizations, and supporting consumers as they work toward reaching their goals. The level of follow-up and guidance will vary depending on the consumer. 

35% - Coordinate and lead Recreation, Employment, and Community Access activities for individuals of all ages who experience disabilities or are aging. Gather necessary documentation for activities and write event summaries. These activities have historically included cultural outings, such as concerts, as well as recreational pursuits, such as hiking and pottery classes. Future activities may consist of more overnight camping, adaptive skiing, kayaking, whale-watching trips, longer hikes, and potentially travel to distant locations (for example, in 2025, we went to Orlando, Florida). 

5% - Coordinate, plan, and lead outreach efforts through community presentations, such as at health fairs or local events. Present information to educators or service providers. Recruit participants and volunteers. Help consumers better understand their rights or those of others with disabilities.

15% - Complete data entry and keep records of services provided to consumers, ORCA events, consumer contact information, and lists of community partners. 

10% - Organize office, recreation equipment, assistive technology, and loan out and check in durable medical devices.