Supporting People. Changing Lives.

Author Archives: Amy Zuck

COC Staff Go Above and Beyond During Pandemic

Friday, 24 April 2020 15:06
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 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.

COC’s Plan to Prevent Coronavirus and Maintain Services

Friday, 13 March 2020 15:08
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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 set to host Spare Some Time for COC Bowling Fundraiser on March 8

Wednesday, 19 February 2020 15:50
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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.

COC Virtual Christmas Tree Parade

Thursday, 12 December 2019 11:38
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Christmas is a time of year when many people reflect on traditions, memories, and the connections to those around us. The decorating of a Christmas tree is often the center of those things for many, including the individuals that Christian Opportunity Center (COC) supports. Whether they are celebrating the Christmas season with the friends they share a house with or the friends they see at Life Skills, they find joy in the tradition of decorating their Christmas trees each year.

COC offers residential services to approximately 150 individuals with disabilities in Pella, Knoxville, Oskaloosa, Indianola, and Des Moines. Most individuals in COC’s residential programs live in either an Intermediate Care Facility for persons with Intellectual Disabilities (ICF/ID) or a Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) home. People with disabilities living in an ICF/ID generally need considerable supervision and support with activities of daily living. An HCBS home provides teaching and support to help people with disabilities develop independent living skills while living in shared homes. COC also offers a day program called Life Skills in Pella, Knoxville, Oskaloosa, and Indianola, which many of the individuals living in HCBS homes attend. Life Skills staff support individuals in learning about and being involved in their communities while also working on developing social and other skills.

COC’s staff work to help the individuals who participate in our services to feel connected to their homes and their community. The people we support find so much joy in decorating their homes for Christmas, and they wish to share their finished Christmas tree with their families, friends, co-workers, and neighbors. However, distance and the busyness of the holiday season can create obstacles.

So, to help overcome the obstacles of distance and busy schedules, this year COC is announcing its first ever Virtual Parade of Christmas Trees. The participating COC homes and Life Skills programs have photographed their Christmas Trees and posted them on the COC website. COC invites the community to view and vote for their favorite Christmas trees at https://christianopportunity.org/christmas-tree-parade/. The tree which receives the most votes will win a pizza party for New Year’s Eve.

“We feel this is a fun way to connect the people we support to their family, friends, and the community during the holidays. We see the pride they take in their homes and their Christmas decorations, and we want to help them share that with those around them,” said Amy Zuck, COC’s Public Information Director.

COC Celebrates 50th Anniversary with the Communities it Serves

Thursday, 27 June 2019 12:19
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Christian Opportunity Center (COC) is celebrating the 50th anniversary of its founding in 1969. COC began with the parents of five children with disabilities, who aspired for more opportunities for their children. In 1969, opportunities for individuals with disabilities were limited, and many parents were forced to make hard choices when it came to the future of their children with disabilities. The opportunities these parents sought for their children were for them to receive a quality education, to live close to home, and to continue to grow in their Christian faith. These parents came together, and with overwhelming support from community members, local businesses, and churches, COC began its ministry in September of 1969.

As the landscape of the services that COC offered changed according to the needs of the disability community, COC began to change its focus to meet the needs of both children with disabilities who were graduating from high school and adults with disabilities in the community. The need for vocational and residential services and continued focus on religious services has shaped COC into what it is today. The following years brought the expansion of supports and services to Oskaloosa, Indianola, Des Moines, and Knoxville. From the early days of the organization, the goal of COC has emphasized supporting individuals with disabilities to live the life they choose to live. Today COC maintains that vision by offering supports and services to over 260 individuals with disabilities, and employs over 300 staff in our service areas. To honor its 50th year, COC is working on developing a comprehensive history book of the organization, which will be available in September. 

COC also launched a new scholarship this year in celebration of this special anniversary. To complement the Sarah Braun scholarship already in place for a high school senior going into human services, this new scholarship was given to a local student who was part of their high school’s special education program. This year’s Sarah Braun “Proving What’s Possible” Scholarship was awarded to Knoxville High School Senior, April Olson. Olson plans to attend the University of Iowa’s REACH (Realizing Education and Career Hopes) program, which is a certified transition program for students ages 18-25 years old with intellectual, cognitive and learning disabilities.   

To pay tribute to the communities COC has served and the support they have given over the past 50 years, and to celebrate COC’s achievements and commemorate this special milestone, COC plans to sponsor several local community events throughout this summer.  COC invites the community to celebrate with COC all they have achieved together over the last half-century and to look forward to the opportunities that lay ahead with several exciting events:

July 4th Knoxville July 4th Celebration (COC will sponsor the Bike Parade)

July 12th Friday Night Live at Memorial Park in Indianola

July 15th Oskaloosa Movie Night at the Southern Iowa Fair Grounds

July 18th Thursday Night on the Square in Pella

We encourage those in the community to come out and support these events and celebrate COC’s 50th Anniversary. 

Our mission is to Integrate Christian values in empowering individuals with disabilities to realize their full potential.