Position Summary

Social Advocates for Youth (SAY) is a non-profit agency serving at-risk youth and their families in Sonoma County. We have an immediate opening for a Volunteer and Food Program Coordinator in Santa Rosa. Under the direct supervision of the Development Department at SAY, the Volunteer and Food Program Coordinator is responsible for developing and implementing the volunteer and the food program for SAY’s teen shelter and transitional housing programs.

This position has been made possible through a partnership with AmeriCorps, Prevent Child Abuse California, Child Welfare Systems Improvement, and Social Advocates for Youth (SAY). AmeriCorps is a community service program that is funded by the government and participating community partners, which is designed to help communities meet the specified needs in their area by recruiting and training individuals who are willing to devote one to two years serving in selected community projects.  Service programs strengthen communities, encourage responsibility, expand opportunities for education, provide service experience, and increase life skills. For more information on AmeriCorps, please visit www.americorps.gov

Hours and Compensation:

• This is a full time position requiring a completion of 1700 service hours and an 11 month service commitment ending on September 30, 2012. Compensation includes a living allowance of $ 16,750, health insurance and child care (if eligible) and an educational award of $ 4,725 redeemable after completion of service. The education award can be used pay for college, graduate school, or to pay back qualified student loans.
• Members with qualifying student loans are eligible for student loan deferment during their term of service.

Position Responsibilities:

Service Position Summary: The SAY AmeriCorps Volunteer and Food Program Coordinator shall cultivate community involvement and support in the vision, mission, and programs with an emphasis in the area of preventing child abuse & youth homelessness. The coordinator will manage and implement SAY’s volunteer program, as well as develop a food program for our teen shelter which serves an average 125 meals a month to homeless youth.

Read More…

SAY Board Member Allyson Ahlstrom was featured in the Press Democrat recently, in an article about her own non-profit organization, Threads for Teens.

Dear friend of SAY,

You are important to me. You are important to me because with your support, we were able to tell 5,856 youth this year that they are important to us. To kids who have so often heard “no,” together we said, “YES!” Together, we are making a difference in the lives of young people throughout Sonoma County.

In the past fiscal year, SAY has accomplished so much! We sheltered over 100 youth at our teen shelter and at our home for young adults exiting the foster system. We served 1,500 meals to hungry and homeless teens at our drop in center. We stabilized 250 families in our counseling clinic. We offered counseling to students in 9 schools in Sonoma, Cloverdale and Healdsburg. We placed 120 youth in the Sonoma County Youth Ecology Corps.

We did all this with your help, and that is why I want to present to you this annual report. Inside you’ll get to read more about our programs. You’ll see that SAY has fiscal integrity. We keep overhead costs down so that only 10% of the dollars we take in go towards management. And we’ll share with you a bit more in detail about one of our oldest programs – our counseling services.

SAY has been around for 40 years, and we want to thank you, our friends and supporters, for your dedication to our kids.

Matt Martin,
Executive Director