Hamilton Center - Project SEARCH Graduation

Project SEARCH is a program for students with disabilities in their last year of high school who will not earn a diploma. Instead of attending classes at their high school, they "go to work" at Union Hospital, the business partner for Project SEARCH. Each student works at three different internship sites within the hospital.

The program is in its third year of existence. In the first two years, 20 students have graduated from the program with great success. Fifteen of the graduates have secured permanent employment in the community. The current class of ten will complete the program on June 6, 2012, at a Graduation Ceremony and Reception at the Landsbaum Center, Terre Haute, IN. Attired in caps and gowns, the class will celebrate their achievement with their friends, family, teachers and counselors. Some of the students in the program do not participate in their high school graduations and have limited resources to purchase caps and gowns. The funding requested will be used to purchase caps and gowns for such students as well as help pay for the graduation celebration. Project SEARCH is a cooperative program between Union Hospital, Covered Bridge Special Education District, Vocational Rehabilitation, WorkOne and Employment Solutions (the supported employment division of Hamilton Center, Inc). It works to help special education students with disabilities in their senior year of high school successfully transition from school to work - becoming skilled, productive members of the community. Students who have autism, ADHD, physical limitations and various other disabilities are provided a combination of classroom instruction and on-the-job training in three different rotations in departments at Union Hospital away from their traditional high school setting. Towards the end of the nine month program, specially trained job coaches from Employment Solutions begin their work to help the students find permanent employment and follow them after securing the job to insure success as they acclimate from being a student and intern to their new status of permanent employee.

Although the program involves a limited number of people, the potential savings to the community is enormous. These students become productive members of society who are independent of public assistance and other entitlement programs. They have learned a valuable skill, their quality of life improves and they feel valued as a contributing member of the community. Your generous donation will go a long way in supporting this very worthwhile project. Project SEARCH is truly life changing for many of the students involved.