VCU to Hold Completion Ceremony for Project SEARCH Interns

By Eric Peters

Virginia Commonwealth University will hold a completion ceremony on Wednesday, June 6, at 11:30 a.m. for student interns who have participated in Project SEARCH at the VCU Medical Center.

The ceremony, to be held at Main Hospital, 1250 E. Marshall St., in the first floor Learning Center, will recognize four interns who have worked at the hospital during the past year in jobs ranging from data management to patient transport.

Project SEARCH is a nationwide, one-year, high school transition program that provides skills training and work experience for young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities, ages 18 to 22. All of VCU Medical Center’s Project SEARCH interns are Richmond City School students.

“To see the impact that we can make on the lives of these young people as they learn valuable job skills and develop good work habits is really remarkable,” said Maria Curran, VCU Health System vice president for human resources. “Just as important is what the interns teach us about perseverance, trust and optimism. They inspire our teams to be their best because they have been able to demonstrate what is possible when teams work together and think creatively about how they approach work.”

Wednesday’s ceremony will feature words of encouragement from, among others, Curran and John Duval, CEO, MCV Hospitals, VCU Health System. In attendance will be current and former Project SEARCH participants, friends, family and mentors.

The project’s goal is for interns to find competitive employment in the community using skills learned throughout their experiences. VCU employs many former Project SEARCH interns in positions such as central supply technician and nutrition specialist.

Project SEARCH, which was started in 1996 in Cincinnati, will see nearly 80 students graduate this year in Virginia. VCU has influenced many of the programs from which those students will graduate.

Beyond providing a business liaison, internships and full-time positions for Project SEARCH participants at the VCU Medical Center, the university provides job coaching and Project SEARCH site creation across Richmond and Virginia.

The Virginia Department of Rehabilitative Services contracts with VCU Business Connections to provide on-site job coaches to train students in their internships and provide job development services as students complete the year. In addition to the VCU Medical Center, this service is provided at two other Richmond-area hospital Project SEARCH sites.

With support from the Virginia Department of Education, the VCU Rehabilitation Research and Training Center has established Project SEARCH sites in Richmond, Norfolk, Montgomery County, Manassas County and Tazewell County.

NOTE: A limited number of parking spaces will be reserved for media on the 1200 block of E. Clay Street the day of the completion ceremony. VCU Communications and Public Relations staff will be on hand to escort media to the ceremony site.