AmeriCorps Community Garden Liaison

AmeriCorps Community Garden Liaison

Full-Time AmeriCorps Member | Charleston, WV

Appalachian Center for Independent Living (ACIL) is seeking a full-time AmeriCorps Member with a passion for sustainable gardening, community engagement, accessibility, and bringing people together across generations and abilities.

The Community Garden Liaison will serve as a bridge between ACIL and a developing community garden in the Charleston area. The member will help create a welcoming, accessible community space where children, families, individuals with disabilities, older adults, veterans, and other community members can learn, garden, connect, and contribute.

This is an opportunity for someone who enjoys working with people, building community partnerships, and turning ideas into meaningful community activities.

What Will You Do?

The Community Garden Liaison will:

• Build relationships between ACIL consumers, the community garden, volunteers, and community partners.
• Promote participation by individuals with disabilities, veterans, seniors, families, and other community members.
• Help identify and address barriers that may prevent people with disabilities from participating in the garden.
• Promote accessible and adaptive gardening practices, tools, activities, and garden spaces.
• Help organize gardening activities, educational programs, community events, and volunteer opportunities.
• Conduct community outreach and develop partnerships with organizations serving people across generations and abilities.
• Help connect individuals with ACIL’s Independent Living services and community resources when appropriate.
• Gather participant feedback and help identify opportunities to improve accessibility and inclusion.
• Develop educational and informational resources related to sustainable gardening, wellness, food security, accessibility, and community participation.
• Help create sustainable practices and partnerships that can continue beyond the AmeriCorps member’s service term.
• Track service activities, participation, outreach, and outcomes as required by AmeriCorps and ACIL.

About ACIL

Since 1982, the Appalachian Center for Independent Living (ACIL) has helped individuals with disabilities live independently and participate fully in their communities.

ACIL provides Independent Living services including Information & Referral, Independent Living Skills Training, Peer Support, Individual and Systems Advocacy, and Youth and Adult Transition Services, along with Veterans Directed Care, Community Living Services and Supports, transportation, employment and educational support, and community outreach.

Our work is grounded in a simple belief:

People with disabilities should have the opportunity to direct their own lives, make their own choices, and be fully included in their communities.

Who We’re Looking For?

In this position, you will not simply provide services to people. You will work with people to create opportunities for individuals to identify their own interests, share their skills, make choices, build relationships, and participate meaningfully in their community.

We are looking for someone who has experience with or a passion for sustainable gardening and working with people across generations and abilities.

Experience or interest in the following is especially welcome:

• Sustainable or community gardening
• Working with children and families
• Working with individuals with disabilities
• Working with older adults or veterans
• Community outreach and engagement
• Volunteer recruitment and coordination
• Environmental sustainability
• Food security and nutrition
• Disability inclusion and accessibility
• Community education
• Independent Living and consumer empowerment

You should be someone who is creative, dependable, comfortable meeting new people, and excited about building something meaningful in the community.

The AmeriCorps Member must have dependable transportation to travel to the ACIL office in Charleston, WV, the community garden, ACIL activities, community events, and partner locations as needed. The member must successfully complete all required background screening and AmeriCorps eligibility requirements. Service hours will typically be Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., with occasional flexibility required for community events, activities, or programs outside of normal hours.

AmeriCorps Service

This is a full-time AmeriCorps Member position with a service commitment of approximately 11.5 months and 1,700 service hours.

The member will receive orientation, training, supervision, professional development opportunities, and experience working with a community-based nonprofit and community partners.

Depending on the approved AmeriCorps program and service term, the member may be eligible for a living allowance and a Segal AmeriCorps Education Award upon successful completion of the service commitment.

Apply Today

If you are organized, dependable, and committed to supporting the independence of people with disabilities, we encourage you to apply. Individuals with disabilities and veterans are strongly encouraged to apply.

Please send your resume and references to info@wvacil.org. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, and early submission is encouraged.

ACIL welcomes applicants from all backgrounds and experiences, including those with disabilities. We are an Equal Opportunity Employer and do not discriminate based on race, color, religion, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, or any other protected characteristic.