Author Archives: Amy Zuck

For more than 50 years, the Christian Opportunity Center (COC) has supported individuals with disabilities to realize their full potential. COC’s support and services’ success has been made possible by COC’s dedicated front-line staff, our Direct Support Professionals (DSP).   Three hundred sixty-five days a year, COC DSPs give their time, heart, and energy to help those living with an intellectual, physical, or mental disability realize their full potential.

DSPs provide countless supports and services for individuals with disabilities in COC’s residential and vocational programs. These duties can include on-the-job training, teaching life skills, independent living skills, social skills, and communication skills.  DSPs are responsible for the health, safety, and well-being of each individual they serve and work hard to keep individuals connected with their families and communities.  During the pandemic, these duties proved essential to the people we support, their families, employers, and the communities we serve.

“The past six months have been very challenging in dealing with the coronavirus pandemic and keeping the people supported and staff at COC healthy and safe. The Direct Support Professionals who work at COC have risen to the challenge by going above and beyond in keeping people supported and other staff healthy and safe. The DSPs at COC has responded to the crisis with great creativity and perseverance. I am thankful for every DSP at COC who has worked selflessly for the good of others during the pandemic.” John Eilers, COC Executive Director.

The week of September 13-21st is National Direct Support Professionals (DSP) Appreciation week, but COC will celebrate our 260 DSPs during September. COC will honor each of our DSPs with gifts of appreciation and will be highlighting DSPs on social media outlets throughout the month. 

Please join COC this month as we show our appreciation for the DSPs that impact our community.  Each life a DSP touches helps our local community, families, and workforce thrive.  Whether it is helping someone live independently, obtain employment, or are simply being a friend, the work of each DSP results in a substantial positive impact on our community.  DSPs are the Heart of COC. 

Christian Opportunity Center’s (COC) Life Skills is a day habilitation program for adults with disabilities that focuses on applying life skills, communication skills, and social skills in an integrated community setting. COC’s Life Skills programs are located in Pella, Knoxville, Oskaloosa, and Indianola.

Social skills for an individual with disabilities can be difficult to master and these skills are crucial to a person’s well-being and quality of life.  COC continuously seeks out opportunities for the people we support to find alternative resources outside of our agency in which they can work on social skills.

Adult summer camps for people with disabilities are a fantastic way not only to work on these skills but to create new experiences and memories. COVID has caused many of the people that COC supports to experience disappointments, with the temporary closure of Life Skills and the cancelation of summer camps being two of the hardest blows. 

COC Life Skills program re-opened recently after closing due to COVID.  As Life Skills has re-opened, staff have taken additional precautions to keep the People we Support safe.  Top priorities in the first weeks back have been wearing masks properly, social distancing, and personal hygiene to ensure safety.  Staff is also planning ways to bring some beloved activities back into their lives safely.  One plan is to host a safe Life Skills Summer Camp in Pella, Oskaloosa, Knoxville, and Indianola later this summer, which will have similarities to the camps that people supported are familiar with attending. 

Daily activities will include campfire safety, learning how to put up a tent, building a birdfeeder, and will end with a cookout.  Staff would also like to see each participant receive a souvenir shirt to remember this unique year. 

“We hope that this camp will provide some joy and some normalcy in their life.  Returning to Life Skills means so much to the people we support.  One of our first days back, during our grateful prayer, many of the Persons Supported talked about how they were so thankful to be back at Life Skills with their staff and other people supported.”- Life Skills staff.

Like many things in 2020, this camp was a product of COVID and wasn’t previously planned or budgeted for.  COC is fundraising to host the Life Skills Summer Camp by introducing a “Be Kind” t-shirt fundraiser to raise funds to cover the cost of expenses and shirts for each participant.  Shirts can be purchased HERE.    An option is also available to sponsor a shirt for the attendees of the camp.  The COC t-shirt fundraising store will be accepting orders until July 26th.  The camps will be held in late August in all locations.  

 All Christian Opportunity Center (COC) Staff are very committed to the mission of integrating Christian values in teaching skills for life. However, COVID-19 has created many obstacles and uncertainties that have greatly affected the people with disabilities that COC supports. 

COC is determined to do our part in helping to prevent the spread of COVID-19. We committed to the health and safety of the people we support, our Staff, and the communities we serve. With the ongoing proliferation of COVID-19, COC is continuously monitoring our efforts to keep everyone healthy while maintaining services. Some of the measures we are taking include:

• We are screening all visitors and Staff that enter our administrative buildings.
• We are temporarily suspending visitors to our homes.
• We are limiting people supported involvement in the community, including bible studies.
• Staff training has been changed to online or in very small groups.
• Staff is to communicate and conduct meetings via phone, email, and Internet meeting options as much as possible.
• All Staff are wearing PPE when interacting with the people we support.

Many of the people we support are reliant on routines and seeing their family and friends. The mitigation efforts that our organization and our community have taken to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic have affected every aspect of the lives of the people we support. Many of the people we support have temporally lost their jobs due to businesses closing. COC’s Community Based Employment Programs reports that 49 people supported have lost their jobs due to COVID-19.  Visits from family and friends are temporarily suspended throughout our residential programs, and church services and bible studies are canceled. These are activities that the people we support find fulfillment and joy in. These are issues that everyone is facing these days. Helping a person with intellectual disabilities understand these disruptions is often challenging.

COC’s excellent Staff continues to work on ways to talk with the people we support on how they can help to prevent the spread of the virus. Our teams are finding fun and creative ways to teach and review good hygiene daily. Our goal is to show the people we support how we all can do our part in the fight against the virus. Staff is also continually working on finding alternative ways to keep the people we support engaged and active. Many of our Staff have introduced new craft projects, gardening, exercise, and prayer as part of their daily routine.  COC Staff has also started to conduct weekly games of BINGO with our Residential Programs through Zoom, with the chance to win a pizza party.   As we look toward our “new normal”, our organization is so grateful to the commitment of our Staff to the people we support.

Christian Opportunity Center is committed to the health and safety of the people we support, our staff, and the communities we serve. 

With the spread of the coronavirus, COVID-19, COC is intensifying efforts and implementing a comprehensive plan to keep everyone healthy while maintaining services.  COC is following guidelines from the Iowa Department of Public Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to minimize exposure of people supported and staff to the coronavirus.  COC will continue to monitor the situation and will update accordingly.   

Christian Opportunity Center (COC) will host Spare Some Time for COC, a bowling fundraiser and silent auction, on Sunday, March 8, 2020, at Statesmen Lanes and Event Center from 2–4 pm. Doors will open at 1 pm for the silent auction.

COC hopes this event will encourage positive social interactions between people with disabilities and members of the community. Social interactions for people with disabilities can be limited due to a lack of opportunities to meet others outside of their family, work, or church life.  Spare Some Time for COC is an opportunity to create and foster new friendships and to focus on the gifts and talents of people with disabilities in our community.

“There is so much research on the benefits for people with disabilities to have positive friendships, including a longer lifespan. It’s what people with disabilities can give back to their community that amazes me. We want everyone to have the opportunity to experience all their gifts and talents. These relationships can change lives for the better.” said Amy Zuck, COC Public Information Director.

Community members are encouraged to come out and bowl with COC on March 8. Bowling tickets are $20 per person. This price includes bowling, shoes, and event t-shirt. The t-shirt guarantee is February 23. A family rate of $60 is available for families of four. RSVP by calling 641-673-9480 or tickets can be purchased online at https://one.bidpal.net/sparesometimeforcoc/welcome.  All proceeds of this event are used to support the programs and services COC provides to people with disabilities in the Oskaloosa region.