Recreation Coordinator

Overview

Enjoy making a difference? Join the team at FREE, enriching the lives of others, one individual at a time. Family Residences and Essential Enterprises, Inc. (FREE) benefits and proudly supports more than 4,000 individuals with intellectual / developmental disabilities, mental illness and traumatic brain injury. It is the mission of FREE to support people of all abilities reach their full potential and thrive in their communities.

FREE provides a diverse array of supports and services including: housing; recovery services; transition to work; employment; day, community and family services; respite; crisis services; education and after school support; specialty health services; and advocacy.

The Recreation Coordinator is responsible for planning, organizing, and overseeing a variety of recreational programs and activities within the community for the OPWDD and OMH Programs. This role involves developing inclusive programs that promote physical, mental, and emotional well-being through recreation activities tailored to the needs of participants. The Recreation Coordinator ensures the programs are effective, engaging, and meet both therapeutic goals and social goals while also managing logistical details, staff, and resources related to each event or activity.

This includes designing and implementing sports leagues, fitness classes, youth and adult programs, special events, and more.

Responsibilities of All FREE Employees

• Develops, implements, and evaluates therapeutic recreation programs for individuals with disabilities, focusing on improving physical, mental, and social well-being.
• Plans and coordinates special events, vacations for persons served, festivals, tournaments, staff team events/leagues, and community gatherings.
• Tailors programs to meet the needs of individuals with various disabilities, including physical, cognitive, sensory, and developmental and emotional challenges.
• Ensures that programs align with therapeutic objectives and are based on best practices in therapeutic recreation.
• Develops schedules, outlines, and guidelines for activities to ensure smooth operation.
• Works with operations managers, vendors, partners, and volunteers to ensure event success.
• Oversees logistics of all events including setup, operation, and cleanup.
• Maintains accurate records for participant registrations, financial transactions, and staff schedules.
• Prepares reports on program participation, budget usage, and other key metrics.
• Builds relationships with healthcare providers, community organizations, and local agencies to enhance program resources.
• Advocates for the inclusion of individuals with varying disabilities in all community recreation opportunities.
• Represents the recreation program at community meetings, conferences, and other professional events.
• Attends meetings with senior management to discuss program performance and needs.
• Develops and maintains professional development opportunities for staff to ensure knowledge and skills align with current therapeutic trends and techniques.
• Fosters a collaborative and supportive team environment focused on delivering high-quality programs.
• Provides guidance, and support to ensure effective program execution.
• Ensures that all required documentation (paper and electronic) is completed/processed appropriately, in a timely manner, and meets quality and compliance thresholds.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Additional duties

• Ensure all programs align with the community's interests and needs.
• Always communicates in a respectful manner with all people including the people we support, supervisors, other valued team members, and members of the community.
• Complies fully with FREE’s confidentiality policies by holding in strictest confidence all information pertaining to members, residents, the people we support and their families, clients, providers, contractors, and employees.
• Meets all safety training requirements; adheres to all safety policies and reports any and all unsafe conditions; takes measures to prevent accidents and/or eliminate conditions that pose a safety or health risk.
• Coordinates, supports, attends and participates in all required events/ meetings/ reviews/ committees, including ones outside of standard working hours.
• Meets all job requirements and stays in compliance.
• Adheres to FREE’s standard of ethical behavior as outlined in the Employee Handbook and Code of Conduct as well as applicable laws and regulations.

Please note the above duties, responsibilities, and essential functions are a non-exhaustive list, and may be changed by FREE at any time, with or without notice to the employee.

Education: Bachelor’s degree in Recreation Management, Sports Administration, or a related field required.

Experience:

• Minimum of one (1) year of experience in recreational programming, community events, youth services, or sports coordination; three (3) or more years preferred.
• Minimum of two (2) years of…