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Goal

Project SEARCH is an internship program at NCH Baker Hospital for students with intellectual disabilities between the ages of 18-22. Students participate in three unpaid internships in different departments of the hospital throughout the school year. The goals of the program are for students to explore a variety of career paths, learn marketable job skills, and obtain meaningful employment either at NCH or within the community by the end of the year.  

What will be done with my students

During Project SEARCH, students will have the opportunity to work in various departments of the hospital such as Concierge, Central Supply, Linens, Environmental Services, Information Technology, and the Cafeteria. Students will learn a specific set of job skills in each department, in addition to general soft skills such as professional communication, taking initiative, accepting constructive feedback, etc. The students are evaluated on both employability skills and citizenship skills on a daily basis.

To encourage positive work skills and continually motivate students to meet their employment goals, we have implemented a raffle reward program. The students have the opportunity to earn raffle tickets daily for being in uniform, participating in class, fulfilling the requirements of their internship, and going above and beyond in some way. Students are also given raffle tickets whenever they receive a compliment from an NCH staff member.

Each Friday we raffle off several prizes, including NCH gear and $5 gift cards to local stores and restaurants. The students gave input on gift card preferences, and are able to select a prize if their raffle ticket is drawn.  

Benefits to my students

Project SEARCH is a life changing program that gives students the opportunity to learn employability skills in a real community work setting. They work very hard on a daily basis, but are currently not receiving a paycheck due to this being an unpaid internship program. This grant will allow us to provide a consistent reward system for our students. The weekly raffles will help increase motivation as students work toward their goal of paid employment.  

Budget Narrative

There are currently nine students in the Project SEARCH program, and we have a raffle every Friday. We are asking for $5 gift cards from a variety of local stores and restaurants to help us reward the students.  

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