Position Description

Overview:

Generations Incorporated unites older adults and youth in service to strengthen individuals and communities.  We are working toward the day when older adults and youth are widely regarded as resources to one another and widespread intergenerational relationships lead to substantially stronger communities.  Currently, we strive to achieve this goal through our focus on children’s literacy.  We are one of the largest and most effective affiliates of Experience Corps®, a national, research-tested program in 22 cities in America.

We are a fast paced, innovative, intergenerational organization in which service is the operating principle.  Through our Experience Corps® program we bring older adults into school and after-school settings to serve as literacy mentors for to children in grades K-3.

Research concludes that children served by our program gain 60% more literacy skills each year than children not served.

Responsibilities:

The part-time Volunteer Recruitment Coordinator is responsible for the recruitment of quality volunteers for our Experience Corps® program. Reports to the Director of Volunteer Management.

Responsibilities Include but are not limited to:

• Implement recruitment strategies in Greater Boston including Roxbury, Dorchester, South Boston, South End, Jamaica Plain, Cambridge, Brookline, Mattapan, East Boston, Revere and Chelsea to meet specific recruitment goals as determined by Executive Director and Director of Volunteer Management
• Network with community organizations and leaders to identify potential volunteers
• Develop strategies for utilizing networks and contacts of current Experience Corps members to identify potential volunteers
• Plan, coordinate, and facilitate weekly presentations to civic associations, faith-based institutions and organizations and other neighborhood groups where older adults may congregate
• Prepare monthly reports on volunteer recruitment efforts

• Update and maintain the recruitment best practices manual for the Volunteer Management department to reflect organizational goals and strategies
• With the Director of Volunteer Management, coordinate the recruitment plan and weekly activities for the AmeriCorps VISTAs on the Volunteer Management Team and create a strong recruitment team
• Attend staff and board meetings, special events and other meetings as requested

Qualifications

• Minimum of five years of leadership experience to achieve results
• Resident of  Dorchester or Roxbury, which are our largest service areas
• Bachelor’s degree preferred
• Public speaking and presentation skills
• Willingness to work a flexible weekly schedule as recruitment activities sometimes occur on evenings and weekends
• Demonstrated ability to motivate volunteers
• Strong commitment to service and to the power of intergenerational relationships as solutions to community problems
• Excellent “people skills” and respect for people of all ages; ability to work well with a diverse group of community partners, volunteers and staff
• Ability to work independently and as a member of a team
• Computer literacy with solid e-mail skills and ability to learn new systems
• Ability to be flexible, keep a sense of humor, and solve problems with creativity and confidence
• Persons of color and age 55 years and older strongly encouraged to apply

Salary and Benefits

• This position is offered as part-time (20 hrs/wk) with a twelve-month salary of $20,000(equivalent to full-time position at $40,000/year).  Must be flexible, as the late summer and fall may require more than 20 hours and some weeks will require less
• Pay increases will be based on performance and standard cost of living increases
• Includes retirement match and transportation pass

Mail, Email or Fax Resumes to:

Kathryn Klister
Director of Volunteer Management
Generations Incorporated
25 Kingston St., 4^th Floor
Boston, MA 02111
(Email) kklister@generationsinc.org
(Fax) 617-422-0626

Tweet This Post Digg This Post Facebook Reddit Stumble This Post

She is presenting, “One Solution for Two Significant Social Problems: How bringing older and younger generations together can improve both the health of senior citizens and the literacy skills of children.” TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) is a small non-profit dedicated to bringing together individuals across disciplines to share their innovative ideas with the world. To learn more about TED and the event in Boston, click here.  To listen and watch previous TED talks, click here.  You will have the opportunity to hear Mary’s talk via live streaming that night, we will make that link available once we have it.

Tweet This Post Digg This Post Facebook Reddit Stumble This Post

Each Wednesday morning this summer, Meg Licht, myself and a group of ten other tireless Experience Corps members gather in Franklin Park to partake in some exercise and easy conversation.  Along the two mile trek around the park’s public golf course, we chat about everything from current events to our favorite ice cream flavors, solidifying friendships while working out our bodies.  The walking group is very beneficial for our health, others also feel that the walking relaxes them and helps lower their blood sugar.  Mary Brewster says that she loves the walking group because she keeps her whole body fit while the conversation provides mental exercise as well.

While we all recognize and appreciate the health gains of our weekly dedication to fitness, we especially appreciate the opportunity to maintain the friendships with fellow volunteers we have created over the year at the schools.  Manny Fernandes, says that “the fellowship is very good.” Joan Austin and Fannie Hardmon explain that they both look forward to coming out every Wednesday, while Nathalie Sandiford adds that to her, each Wednesday feels “like Christmas.”  All the walkers agree that while we love tutoring through Generations Incorporated, getting to know each other outside of volunteering on a more personal level has been extremely enjoyable and beneficial; “this kind of thing just can’t happen in the classroom,” says Manny, garnering nods of assent from his fellow walkers.

After walking consistently at Franklin Park throughout the previous summer, we are expanding our walking groups to include more volunteers from other areas that we serve.  This summer, we are also holding walking groups at Jamaica Pond and Revere Beach. We hope to continue with this trend of physical activity into the school year.  If you have any interest in participating, or if you have any suggestions for types of exercise you would like to be involved in, please call Meg Licht at (617) 423-0408.

By Ricki Henderson, Experience Corps Member & Meg Licht, AmeriCorps *VISTA

Tweet This Post Digg This Post Facebook Reddit Stumble This Post

Upon reflecting on my first year here, one story takes center stage in my mind. In my opinion, community is one of the greatest assets that we offer our volunteers, and I am exceedingly grateful and proud to work each day toward enhancing this fellowship. When a volunteer in Revere was diagnosed with lung cancer and was unable to serve, both her fellow Experience Corps members and all of us in the office were saddened and disheartened. I know that this special woman received a multitude of phone calls and cards from her comrades during her illness. As if this display of support was not enough to demonstrate the deep sense of community amongst the volunteers, I found my eyes welling up when she made a surprise visit to Coffee Club in Revere, where volunteers gather to chit chat over their favorite caffeinated beverage. Although she had recently been though extensive surgery, she walked in on sturdy legs and with a proud, beaming smile to one of the most genuinely heartfelt receptions I have seen in my twenty two years. A swarm of older adults rushed forward to embrace her, making me fear for her fragile, recovering body. However, their intentions were sincere; they simply wanted to express their joyous gratitude for her health and their happiness at seeing her radiant face once again, which they did with ample enthusiasm. I was not the only one who was touched by this display; I caught the guest of honor wiping a tear or two from her own eyes as well.

After the crowd had settled down, I stole a moment alone with this woman during which we joked about our overt emotions and she expressed her astonishment at the magnanimity of her greeting and how much she had missed her work with Generations. She held up her name tag, lovingly adorned with stickers from her students, and told me that putting it on was the best part of her day. Seeing her fellow Experience Corps members greet her was, unquestionably, the best part of mine. Now, reflecting back on this experience, I know that as much as I love children and appreciate the great advantages our programs bring to them, it is the camaraderie amongst our older adult volunteers that is most meaningful to me personally, and in my humble and potentially biased opinion, one of our most invaluable accomplishments as an organization.

Tweet This Post Digg This Post Facebook Reddit Stumble This Post