About Cassidy Elementary Community Partnerships Coordinator

PHENND is entering the second year of an innovative project that seeks to improve and expand the infrastructure for community partnership development across the School District of Philadelphia. This year PHENND is placing 16 AmeriCorps*VISTA members in resource-challenged public schools in Philadelphia and in key School District offices to serve as Community Partnership Coordinators. The VISTAs facilitate better coordination and communication between the schools and partners, as well as among partners. Their methods include convening monthly community partner meetings at the schools, creating and maintaining multiple platforms for communication for community partners and school staff, conducting a needs assessment in collaboration with school leadership, and strategically recruiting new partnerships to help meet those needs.