Community Organizations for Families and Youth - COFFY:
COFFY is an operating, loosely configured, action-oriented and powerful body that oversees a boundless large group that aides, secures and empowers families and youth. As a committed group of empowering social service agencies, COFFY's common goal is to build a strong foundation and capacity to serve youth and families residing in Gary, Indiana.

Our Mission:
To maintain a network of community organizations providing opportunities that lead to the healthy transformation of Gary, Indiana through interactive services for youth and families.

Meeting Dates:
The Coordinating Committee Meets the Second Friday of Each Month, 8 - 10 AM at the John Will Anderson Club in Gary. If you wish to attend, mark you calendars now for 2008!

2008 COFFY Quarterly Meetings:

• February 25, 2008
• May 19, 2008
• August 18, 2008
• November 17, 2008

Quarterly meetings are always from 8:30 AM to 1:00 PM. Locations of meetings will be announced as they draw near.

OUR GOALS:
Our ultimate goal is two-fold:
1. To address the needs of youth and families ensuring accessibility to safe havens.
2. To strengthen networking collaborations of youth and family services.

Our goals will be reached by first:

• Assessing services vs. the needs of the Gary community and identifying gaps.
• Ensuring agencies are matching community needs and are accessible to populations that need services most by building internal capacities.
• Developing services that directly address gaps in service.
• Developing a comprehensive directory of agencies and their programs.

OBJECTIVES
COFFY has four strategic objectives:

1. Provide an integrated and interactive system of family support which works to provide accessible family interactive services that concentrate on the healthy transformation of the City of Gary.
2. Provide innovative, educational, technological and recreational services to help develop youth and their families throughout the community.
3. Empower youth and families through the development of community supported systems.
4. Create and sustain community partners to enhance social services that have a career plan for residents of urban communities from birth to adulthood.

LONG TERM OUTCOMES:

• Positive Self-Identity: Youth and families have a healthy self-concept and a strong belief in their self-worth.
• Competencies: Youth and families have the knowledge, skills, strategies and attitudes necessary to have a positive foundation for success (i.e. educational, employment, social, emotional, cultural).
• Community and Civic Involvement: Youth and families have a sense of belonging to their community, family and/or group and are willing to take civic responsibility.
• Health and Well-being: Youth and families live healthy lifestyles, take part in regular fitness activities, are able to access health care resources and engage in positive behaviors.
• Moral Compass: Youth and families have values that enable them to develop positive relationships with others.

Network Committees

Education:
Violet Hower, Chair
Ann Thompson, Co-Chair

Health & Life Skills:
Denise Dillard, Chair
Chief Lawrence Wright, Co-Chair

Youth Sports, Fitness & Recreation:
Caren Jones, Chair
Rose Joiner, Co-Chair

Arts & Culture:
Cara Spicer, Chair
William "Bill" Hill, Co-Chair

Marketing:
Michale Scott, Chair
Jerome Flagg, Co-Chair

Membership Requirements
In order to be a member of the COFFY collaboration, an organization or agency must be a 501(C)(3) agency or governmental entity providing service to youth and/or families in the City of Gary. Membership is renewable annually through a signed Memorandum of Understanding. Each member agency is expected to:

• Complete a New Member Orientation Session
• Actively work in a partnership manner to seek support for the collaboration
• Actively participate, minimum, in one of COFFY's Coordination Network Committees
• Attend at least 80% of Coordination Network Meetings
• Take initiative to become knowledgeable of COFFY's Mission and Goals
• Attend at least one quarterly workshop and one semi-annual seminar
• Annually complete agency survey questionnaire
• Foster goodwill for COFFY by sharing resources and information pertinent to achievement of goals and objectives