Supporting People. Changing Lives.

Author Archives: Amy Zuck

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. 

COC’s New Scholarship Opportunity is Proving What’s Possible

Monday, 25 March 2019 10:33
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Since 1969, the Christian Opportunity Center (COC) has been proving what’s possible for individuals with disabilities in Central Iowa.  In celebration of COC’s 50th Anniversary this year, COC is pleased to announce the inaugural year of a new scholarship opportunity for local high school seniors.  The new award will be named the Sarah M. Braun “Proving What’s Possible” Memorial Scholarship.   For the past 12 years, COC has offered the Sarah M. Braun Memorial Scholarship which is awarded to high school seniors who are planning on a career in human services or special education, this scholarship will continue to be offered in the COC service area.

The new Sarah M. Braun “Proving What’s Possible” Memorial scholarship will also go to a local high school senior; however, this scholarship will focus on a senior who has a learning disability (LD) or an intellectual disability (ID).  Many colleges and universities are offering specialized programs for individuals with LD and ID to have a successful postsecondary education and more students with disabilities are choosing to continue their education.

Amy Zuck, the Public Information Director for COC, said, “I have learned from working at COC to never underestimate what an individual with a disability can do.  If we put low expectations on individuals with disabilities, it only hinders the talents and gifts that they can offer to our communities.”

A qualified applicant will be a local graduating senior who lives in Marion, Warren, or Mahaska Counties.  The applicant must be a graduating high school senior who will be attending a two-year community college, a vocational/technical training program, or a specialized program in the fall, and must have an Individualized Education Plan (IEP). 

Sarah Maria Braun was the first-born child born to former COC Executive Director Rod and current COC employee Robin Braun.  Sarah lived in Pella for the majority of her life and graduated from Pella High School in 1999.  While attending college at Wartburg Sarah worked part-time at COC.  Sarah later attended UNI to finish out her degree in social work.  Sarah passed away suddenly in 2002 at the age of 21. 

For more information on these scholarships and the eligibility requirements or to receive an application, please contact Amy Zuck, Public Information Director, at (641) 628-8087 Ext. 1105 or azuck@christianopportunity.org.

Providing 50 years of services, COC provides residential and vocational support and services to nearly 260 people with disabilities in Mahaska, Marion, Polk, Warren, and Keokuk counties. For more information visit https://christianopportunity.org/ or connect with the Christian Opportunity Center on Facebook and IowaCOC on Twitter.

Creating Positive Experiences for Local Students and Individuals with Disabilities

Tuesday, 15 January 2019 10:57
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This past week marks the end of a month of visits from local schools to Christian Opportunity Center (COC).  Approximately 180 children from Knoxville Northstar Elementary, Lynnville-Sully School District, and Pella Christian High School took time to visit COC and interact with individuals with disabilities.  Creating opportunities for children to interact with people with disabilities positively is beneficial to everyone.  Many times, people can unconsciously act differently around people with disabilities, simply since they have never had this opportunity.  Creating these opportunities for interactions for the children in our communities could help them to learn at an early age to look beyond a person’s disabilities. 

Lynnville Sully students try to do everyday tasks in a wheelchair.

Visits with Knoxville 5th graders and Lynnville-Sully 6th graders consisted of learning about COC services, disability stimulation stations, interacting with Life Skills Program, a short tour of a residential home, and a Q/A session with people with disabilities.  Disability simulations give the kids a small glimpse of what it is like to manage some of the challenges that people with disabilities deal with on a daily basis.  Some of the simulations included maneuvering a wheelchair, using adaptive equipment, and practicing communicating with a person with communication disabilities.  Some of the stimulations may seem silly and frustrating to the kids, and it was vital for them to understand that they could walk away from these challenges at any time, that is not an option for a person with disabilities.

Students from Knoxville and Lynnville-Sully also learned about person-first language, the practice of identifying the person before their disability, i.e., a person with an intellectual disability.  The children were also warned that certain words that used to be medical terminology to describe a person with intellectual disabilities, like the word retarded (referred to as the “R” word) are now considered to be an insult and not a true representation of a person with intellectual disabilities.  The children were encouraged to stop using the “R” word, and encourage friends and family members to join them.

PC Art Teacher, Joe Hokesbergen (left) and Mike Cossolotto enjoy an afternoon of art.

PC HighSchool students visit took a different spin on interacting with individuals with disabilities.  PCHS Art Teacher, Joe Hoksbergern and his Winterim students came to COC bearing pastels, paper, and a willingness to make new friends.  The PCHS students and the people COC supports spent an afternoon creating art together and getting to know each other. COC is consistently looking for ways to engage the people we support with new experiences and ways to express themselves, this interaction with PCHS Art Wintertirm Class was an excellent opportunity to do both.

COC welcomes any student group or school who has an interest in visiting COC to contact the Public Information Director for more information at 1-641-628-1162, ext. 105.

Looking Back and Looking Ahead

Thursday, 10 January 2019 09:55
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To say that Christian Opportunity Center (COC) has gone through many changes and transitions in 2018 is an understatement.  From leadership changes to new opportunities for the people we support, COC would like to take a minute to share some reflections 2018. 

COC has always taken great pride in our hardworking staff and praises each one of them for their part in another great year. According to the US Department of Labor, it was reported in 2015 that there were nearly 4.5 million Direct Support Professionals (DSPs) in the US.  Those numbers help put into perspective the significance of one of COC’s DSPs, Laura Groenboom, receiving a national honorable mention from ANCOR as the DSP of the Year. 

COC’s Leadership Team went through some significant transitions in 2018.  Our organization said “see you later” to long-tenured Executive Director Rod Braun, as he entered into retirement.  Our organization is eternally thankful for his leadership for the past 31.5 years and all he has done for COC.  As Rod’s tenure ended, John Eilers’ time as Executive Director began.   The succession plan that had been in place for the past 14 years has made John’s transition from Associate Director to Executive Director smooth.   Longtime employee, Jodi Tukker accepted the Associate Director position in May and stepped into the new role on July 1.  Shelli Robins also joined the Leadership Team in July; she is the ICF Regional Director. 

This past year also brought many changes to COC services.  In May, COC closed the Facility-Based Employment program.  Although it was hard to say goodbye to this long-standing program, our staff promptly focused on the growth of Community-Based Employment (CBE) for the individuals we support.  In 2018, COC CBE staff added 24 new jobs for the people we support in Pella, Knoxville, Oskaloosa, and Indianola. Another Home and Community Based Services (HCBS) home was opened in Oskaloosa this past year and is now home to four individuals we support.  In May, another Life Skills/Day Habilitation location was opened in Knoxville. This program serves approximately 14 individuals in the Knoxville area.  Due to the growth of the Pella Life Skills, the program was moved to the Pella main office location in October.  In November, COC was pleased to announce that it has received its 13th consecutive CARF accreditation for our Community-Based Employment and Life Skills programs in Indianola, Oskaloosa, Knoxville, and Pella.

For the 260 individuals that we support, 2018 has been a year filled with many new experiences and exciting opportunities.  Each one of the individuals we support brings to their communities so much joy with their talents and gifts.   Several excelled in the Special Olympics this past year in Indianola and Oskaloosa.  Many of our residential homes are working on living a more active lifestyle for the people we support.  We have also had some exciting moments for the people we support; one of the highlights was when two persons supported from Knoxville were able to meet a sprint car driver during the Knoxville Nationals. 

The communities where we offer services and supports were an integral part of the success of COC in the past year.  With the support of many local businesses, COC was able to find new employment opportunities and recreational activities for the people we support.  Many local churches participated in Disability Sunday this past year to promote inclusion for individuals with disabilities in their church communities.  COC appreciates and values the individuals, organizations, and businesses who have contributed to COC through the support of the 17th Annual Golf Classic, by making one-time donations, or through volunteering time.

Looking forward to 2019, COC will celebrate the 50th anniversary of supporting people with disabilities in central Iowa. We will be honoring our past 50 years and looking forward to continuing the COC tradition of service many years into the future.

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