Fairfax County Department of Neighborhood and Community Services’ Therapeutic Recreation Services is now hiring to fill more than 100 positions for its six-week summer camp program for school-aged youth with varying disabilities. Therapeutic Recreation (TR) Services is hosting a series of eight virtual open hire and information sessions for summer job seekers interested in working as a camp counselor or camp director. These live, interactive open hires will take place virtually via Zoom. Each session will include the opportunity for attendees to engage with TR staff, learn more about available positions, and participate in a question-and-answer period. Job seekers will have an immediate opportunity to interview for the position they are interested in and potentially be offered positions on the spot! Therapeutic Recreation offers competitive hourly pay starting at $14.31 for camp counselors and $18.88 for camp directors. Join us for one of these hiring opportunities on: Tuesday, April 6, 2021 from 3 – 5 p.m. Saturday, April 17, 2021 from 10 a.m. – noon Tuesday, April 20, 2021 from 3 – 5 p.m. Saturday, May 1, 2021 from 10 a.m. – noon Tuesday, May 4, 2021 from 3 – 5 p.m. Tuesday, May 11, 2021 from 3 – 5 p.m. Saturday, May 15, 2021 from 10 a.m. – noon Tuesday, May 18, 2021 from 3 – 5 p.m. In addition to discussing job duties, answering questions, and interviewing, the session will provide information about COVID-19 precautions and the onboarding process. Applicants must be at least 18 years old and must have or be willing to obtain CPR and first aid certifications. Applicants must have at least 250 hours of experience in a recreation or school setting serving individuals with disabilities (college course work can supplement experience). Staff must be able to work all six weeks of camp, which is tentatively scheduled for June 28 – August 6, 2021. Additional trainings for these positions are provided and attendance is mandatory; tentative training dates are June 16 – June 25, 2021. Download a flyer with Open Hire information.  For more information about TR, visit our website at: https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/neighborhood-community-services/therapeutic-recreation.  

When NCS Senior Centers closed in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, NCS, DFS and other HHS staff pivoted to meet the immediate needs of older adults – they began delivering weekly meals to participants who would typically eat their meals at Senior Centers. Now, over one year later, NCS staff have delivered over 500,000 meals through the program. Jennae Asborno, Operations Manager for Region 3, recently delivered a meal to Anna Hilda Ifante, a longtime Sully Senior Center participant. Asborno praised the NCS team’s quick setup of meal deliveries, saying, “Despite everyone’s concerns about their health and safety within the pandemic, the team jumped on the buses that very next week after centers closed and began delivering meals.” The team implemented best practices to ensure everyone’s safety. These included social distancing, delivering to the door rather than going inside homes, using personal protective equipment, and employing only one runner and one driver on a 22-passenger bus to deliver the meals. While the meal delivery program addressed food needs, during meal drop-off staff also began to discover that older adults were experiencing a range of physical, mental and social issues while self-isolating. To address these challenges, NCS implemented a wellness check program, provided resources to navigate county services, and produced weekly activity packs. All of these services have helped older adults navigate this past year while staying connected with center staff. Said Asborno, “Our staff are the most dedicated, hard-working, and flexible individuals I know. I am so very proud of what we’ve accomplished this past year. These older adults rely on us to be their lifeline and seeing the smiles on their face each week has been rewarding. For most, this was the only face-to-face interaction they may have had this past year.” Home delivered meals, wellness assessments, and welfare check-ins were a few of the initiatives identified in July 2020 as part of the COVID-19 Response Plan for Older Adults. View the response plan to learn more about the continued efforts by Fairfax County to help care for our most vulnerable population in this pandemic and continue our mission to help them age with dignity.