The Hammonton Health Coalition Plans to Expand Its Connectors’ Network Beyond the Latinx Community
The Hammonton Health Coalition (HCC) has reached an exciting new phase in its evolution. As a result, the Coalition partners will expand their work to promote inclusion and empowerment among the Latinx communities and other underserved, and historically less recognized people in Hammonton, NJ. To do this, we have worked for the past quarter on a new initiative called The Partners for a Healthy Hammonton. This effort will expand the Connectors’ network and forge new and stronger relationships with individuals, families and agencies that share our goals of inclusion and empowerment.
To accomplish these goals, the HCC decided to increase its organizing capacity by engaging a part-time community organizer because our Coalition members are already contributing all the energy and time they possible can, given their own personal and professional commitments. The Pinelands Preservation Alliance (PPA) committed to supporting this part-time organizer’s work by matching a NJHI Community Collaborative Learning Fund award with its own unrestricted resources to jump-start this process in 2022. PPA will create and fund the community organizer position; oversee the organizer’s training, orientation and evaluation in collaboration with the other Coalition members; and provide reporting and financial management for the project. In addition, PPA has committed to funding the position for at least an additional two years beyond 2022.
The HHC has built a record of collaborative learning and valuable projects in the community by working both among the Coalition members and alongside organizations such as Hammonton Heart & Soul, Victory Bible Church, the Puerto Rican Civic Association of Hammonton, and healthcare providers. Now we aim to expand those collaborations beyond our focus on the Latinx communities. This new community organizer will make a consistent, daily effort to expand and extend the Coalition’s reach in the Hammonton community through communications, building the Connectors’ network, and forging new relationships.
The Hammonton Health Coalition will also continue to support the recruitment and development of new Connectors, who are becoming leaders in our community and contributing to the advancement of a more equitable Hammonton. These initiatives will move us closer to our goals for this year:
- Help more individuals grow into community leadership roles through the Connectors’ network and scholarship program.
- Sustain existing successful annual projects, such as the annual Latinx Heritage Month “Fiesta” event and the Latinx Leadership Scholarship program and add a new Community Resource Fair in conjunction with the school district.
- Promote COVID-19 vaccination information and access through vaccination events and social media.
- Alleviate food insecurity for families in need and explore new ways to solve this issue in Hammonton, NJ.
- Develop and carry out youth programming in cooperation with the school district, with special attention to reducing the impact of COVID-19 on students, teachers and families.
- Design and implement nature-based recreation and wellness programming.
- Identify, learn from and work with individuals with disabilities to make Hammonton more inclusive through improved facilities and activities tailored to all residents’ needs.
We are working to fill this organizer position. Please contact PPA Assistant Executive Director Jaclyn Roads at jaclyn@pinelandsalliance.org to learn more about this employment opportunity.