Winchester Heights Health Organization, Inc.

5815 W. Cameron Drive, Willcox, AZ, 85643

Serving Winchester Heights and surrounding areas

Part-Time Project Director

February 2021 – up to a period of 3 years

Winchester Heights Health Organization, Inc. (WHHO) is a young nonprofit, formed to improve the well-being of residents of Winchester Heights, an unincorporated, rural, farm working community in southeast Arizona, 12 miles north of Willcox. We are searching for a Project Director for a grant-funded food security initiative.

Role and Responsibilities:

The Project Director will oversee grant management for a Food Security Initiative grant through Winchester Heights Health Organization. The Director will be expected to fulfill the following functions:

Oversee grant management including financial and programmatic aspects
Report to WHHO Board of Directors
Monitor and report on project progress and track that project goals and objectives are being met in a timely fashion, including maintenance of project database
Supervise the Project Coordinator
Identify and secure contractors and oversee contracts
Place and supervise health professions student interns in the community to assist with project-related activities

Minimum requirements:

Preference given to a bilingual English-Spanish speaker
Candidate must be a Master student in Public Health or other health science degree or hold an undergraduate degree in a relevant field (ie. Community development, nutrition, social work etc.)
Must have a valid driver’s license and reliable transportation
Must be authorized to work in the United States

Salary: $20 per hour up to 20 hours per week

To apply, please submit a letter of interest and resume to Susan Kunz at skunzconsulting@gmail.com or contact at (520) 271-4525.

About The Winchester Heights Food Security Initiative

Winchester Heights is an unincorporated, rural, farm working community in Cochise County, Arizona. The community has a history of collaborating with Chiricahua Community Health Centers, Inc. (CCHCI) and Southeast Arizona Area Health Education Center (SEAHEC) to improve the health of its residents and their access to health care. SEAHEC has worked with the community since 2009, forming multiple cohorts of community health workers, and building a community center where community members can exercise and gather to discuss and plan solutions to improve community health. In 2020, a Board of Directors was formed by community members and stakeholders who filed for 501©3, non-profit, status for Winchester Heights Health Organization (WHHO). The applications were approved in June 2020. WHHO’s mission is to improve the well-being of the residents of Winchester Heights.

In December 2020, WHHO received its first grant from the Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona for a food security initiative. The Winchester Heights Food Security Initiative (WHFSI) will provide leverage for Winchester Heights residents to improve local access to healthy food, increase the public’s skills and knowledge about safe food handling and distribution practices. It will also and improve the capacity of families to raise their own food. This initiative has the following goals:

Goal 1: Improve Organizational Capacity

Assess community access to healthy food
Increase the community’s knowledge/ skills about
Food handling, distribution & storage
Gardening in the desert
Managing the community center and community assets

Goal 2: Improve Community Center Property

Install storage shed, cabinetry, refrigeration, & cooking equipment for safe food handling
Introduce composting & rainwater storage systems to improve land-use practices that conserve resources
Utilize appropriate desert plants and native landscaping for the community garden

Goal 3: Reduce Community Reliance on Distant Food Sources

Establish a farmers’ market
Share and distribute food & information
Earn income from the garden’s produce
Collaborators on this project are:

SEAHEC– provide grant management assistance and training, and serve in an advisory role to the WHHO governing board in overseeing community center construction activities. Will also place health professions student interns with the community to assist with assessment, education and outreach.

CCHCI– a representative will serve on WHHO governing board and also provide classes and health education

Susan Kunz– provide training and support to the WHHO governing board and will serve in an advisory capacity on food security program development.

University of Arizona Cooperative Extension– provide technical assistance and support in development of community garden and train volunteers to become Master Gardeners as well as support the effort to reduce obesity and chronic illnesses through healthy eating and active living.