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Project SEARCH Exemplifies Power of Partnerships

Becky Rice, UVMC President and CEO, congratulates graduates.

TROY (May 15, 2015) -  The power of partnerships was a recurring theme during the May 15 celebration of the 2014-15 Upper Valley Project SEARCH at Upper Valley Medical Center.

Now in its fifth year, Project SEARCH is a high school transition program designed to provide training and education on the road to employment for individuals with disabilities. It was launched in Cincinnati in 1996 and introduced at UVMC via the Upper Valley Career Center in 2010.

“The Upper Valley Career Center has many partnerships … but I cannot think of a better partnership than the one we have with Upper Valley Medical Center and Project SEARCH,” said Matt Meyer, Career Center Director of Student Services. 

“I cannot think of another program that has the results that Patti and this group of folks get with these kids. Over 70 percent of SEARCH graduates are competitively employed,” Meyer added.

Local Upper Valley Project SEARCH partners, in addition to UVMC, include the Upper Valley Career Center in Piqua, the Board of Developmental Disabilities in Miami and Shelby counties, Capabilities Inc. and Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities.

The goal of the nine-month program is to help each of the interns become “a more independent, systematically competitively skilled person ready to compete in their community job market,” said Patti Moore, Upper Valley Project SEARCH coordinator.

She works in partnership with the interns, intervention specialists, job coaches and work site supervisors at UVMC.  She emphasized that the interns are not actual employees, but are “strictly students in training” during the program. 

Each intern deferred receiving their high school diploma, went through an interview selection process and earned a position to participate in the program. 

Moore said graduates have found work in Miami, Shelby and Champaign counties, some have obtained their driver’s license, bought their own car, used public transportation and some now live independently.

 “This is such a huge accomplishment for all of our Project SEARCH interns. Each one of you has a success story to share,” said Becky Rice, UVMC President and CEO.

Don LeVan, a UVMC Rehabilitation Services employee has been a project mentor each of its five years. He explained how interns do a series of rotations in various UVMC departments. 

The intern works as part of the team and eats lunch with staff as they fall into a daily routine.  “We do life together,” LeVan said. “The journey does not end when the rotation ends. They stay in contact and we try to support them.” More than 30 UVMC mentors participated in the program this past year.

The interns entered the conference rooms where the celebration was held wearing graduation gowns with Pomp and Circumstance playing in the background. Each introduced themselves and spoke briefly about their Project SEARCH experience and their future plans. 

Interns receiving diplomas from representatives of their home school districts were: Alexandra Divens, Austin Long and Brant Verdier, all of Sidney High School; Megan Kendell  and Tristen Yingst of Covington High School; Raymond Naumoff of Tippecanoe High School; Brice Rehfus of Hardin- Houston High School; and Alex Ruffin and Brianne Tope of Troy High School.

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