Transmission Project

During their year long term, Corey and Laura completed tasks and mini-projects related to 5 of Pangea Foundation’s web-based applications. One of which is the national launching of a mentoring system for organizations that serve youth with disabilities. This system has been used by our organization for several years, and has been recognized by other organizations as a model system that could help expand mentoring programs, and create a network of mentoring programs to better track results. Our VISTA’s designed prototypes for facilitating a national partnership with Partners for Youth with Disabilities, a Boston-based national mentoring organizations. This partnership has now been formalized, and the pilot for our national launch is beginning in April. Among other pilot participants, Disabled Sports USA will be a pilot organization, which is a non-profit with 90 chapters across the nation.

They also led 2 special projects focused financial counseling for families affected by the Katrina Disaster and Education accountability with the San Diego City School District.

Mike D. continued to provide support to VISTAs through the year, and was very helpful to all the local VISTAs he served as a supervisor too. Mike continued to contact all 12 CTCNet VISTAs monthly to check on them. Mike primarily called VISTA members, but he did go to the national conference to support and network with other VISTAs.

Sue has helped us launch our project nationally, and we know have over 350 affordable and public housing facilities using “Abilities for Resident Service Coordinators” to link low income frail elderly and disabled residents to community services. “Abilities for Resident Service Coordinators” has been endorsed by the American Association of Service Coordinators and is acknowledged by industry professionals as a vital tool in keeping elderly residents in independent living. With the infusion of technology in elderly and disabled resident service coordination, properties are able to keep residents independent, and avoid unnecessary and costly institutionalization. This project is a prime example of using community technology to meet pressing needs, and impact important policy areas.

Sue helped us attend a national conference in San Antonio, Texas, in which we brought 20 laptops and set up a training lab. We taught Resident Service Coordinators how to use technology to link their residents to community services, manage their residmonitor resident and program outcomes with technology.

Sue has been a vital player in helping us develop an implementation plan for CTCs in affordable housing communities in Southern California, as she is at our office early every day to assist with implementation. Her involvement helped us determine that we could expand beyond 50 to now over 200 CTCs.

Sue led the effort at Pangea Foundation to develop the training manual for our users. She has helped develop the 100+ page training manual that is available to users when they log into the system. This is an ongoing effort. She also helps with phone training, and attended our training conference in San Antonio, Texas.

Sue has helped run the show at Pangea with the Resident Service Coordinators. She is the first to receive their calls when they need technical help. She continuously tests the systems. She helped create the training manuals and system forms for printed materials. Sue’s involvement as an AmeriCorp*VISTA member enables our organization to provide these services to the community. To date, this system has over 200 properties using it, which represents service delivered and managed to 20,000 low income elderly and disabled residents across the country.

Beth and Edith worked well above their call of duty to lead the efforts of designing a system that helped bring technology solutions to low-income senior and disabilities housing properties. They worked directly with staff at affordable housing properties for seniors and people with disabilities as well as the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Southern California office to make sure that Pangea designed a system that could help low-income seniors and people with disabilities use technology to access community resources to meet their need. They designed the functional specification of the system, and then worked daily with Pangea’s software developers to oversee the development of the system. They have been praised by every organization they worked with, especially HUD’s Southern California Neighborhood Networks team leader.