The SEARCH for success

Project what?

By Monica Laco
Asst. Campus News Editor

Newswire photo by Monica Laco

Trish Heim, director of Project SEARCH at Xavier, teaches the morning lesson with intern Nicole Donaldson.

Nestled away on the second floor of Gallagher is a room many routinely pass without a second thought. This “hidden treasure” is room 250, headquarters of Xavier University’s Project SEARCH program.

Project SEARCH is a high school to competitive job transition program for students ages 18 to 22 with mild disabilities. The program began in 1996 at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital and expanded to Xavier in 2004.

Xavier was the first university to host the Project SEARCH program, which has now been replicated in over 140 sites throughout the world. Visitors from all over the United States, as well as from England, Canada and Scotland, have visited Xavier to examine its program and use it as a basis for their own.

Every year 20 to 30 students apply to Xavier’s program. The selection committee chooses about 12, each of whom receive a one-year paid internship.

Students rotate through three job sites, spending 12 weeks at each site. The goal is for the students to gain valuable work experience and learn communication and problem-solving skills so they can succeed in a competitive work environment. “It’s a win-win situation,” Trish Heim, director of Xavier’s Project SEARCH program said.

A “typical” day with Project SEARCH

Meet the Interns

This year’s Project SEARCH students are Theresa Breedan, Nicole Donaldson, James Ginn, David Haven, Justin Holmes, Sarah Madden, Dennis Mahoney, April Meyers, Chris Parker, Josh Shanor and Stephen Twilling.

Newswire photo by Monica Laco

Intern Chris Parker and Walt Bonvell with Physical Plant work together to clean up Shantytown on the academic mall.

To experience what life is like for an intern of Project SEARCH, I spent the day following several students in their jobs. What follows is a log of my day on Friday, Oct. 23:

7:30-8:15 a.m.- Students file into GSC 250 where they sign in for the day.

8:15 a.m.- Each day starts with a lesson based on daily living and employee skills. This week, the students are learning about attitudes.

“It’s a choice you make how you handle your attitude,” Heim said. The focus of today’s class is anger.

Nicole Donaldson, who wants to be a teacher’s helper at the conclusion of the program, is assisting with the lesson today. The students talk about learning to manage their anger, especially at their job sites.

9 a.m.- Heim dismisses the students, and, in a sudden whirlwind of activity, everyone heads out to his or her respective job site.

At the Project SEARCH office, Sarah Madden and David Haven work on putting agendas together for an Institutional Review Board meeting this afternoon.

9:10 a.m.- Heim heads to the Caf to see how the students are doing. Theresa Breedan, who spent two years in chef training at Diamond Oaks vocational school, is assisting the workers with salad preparation while April Meyers is busy clearing plates in the dish room.

9:20 a.m.- Heim walks to the Physical Plant, where several of the students are untangling Christmas lights. They usually work on more exciting projects, Heim explains, but it is raining outside today and this is a job that must be done.

Walt Bonvell, Physical Plant grounds foreman, who has worked at Xavier for 27 years, helps train Project SEARCH interns.

“We all do our best to try and hopefully teach [the students] a career,” Bonvell said. “They all walk away better students than when they walked into the program.”

Vincent Lewis, or “St. Vinny” as Heim refers to him, is the events coordinator for Physical Plant and works alongside some of Xavier’s most challenging Project SEARCH interns. He shows them how to work professionally, how to adapt to working with other people and how to work as a team player.

“I like working with [the interns] and getting the opportunity to teach them something...to help them get a job one day,” Lewis said.

9:45 a.m.- Heim pays a visit to Parker who is working with Bonvell to tear down Shantytown on the academic mall.

9:50 a.m.- The next stop is the Registrar’s office in Alter to see Donaldson do clerical work. Terri Holbrock, one of Project SEARCH’s job coaches, sits next to her, helping her sort and alphabetize transcript request forms.

Kathy Schmitt, information service specialist, has been working with Project SEARCH since the program first came to Xavier. The program is particularly special to her because she had a son who graduated from an area Project SEARCH program a few years ago and is now in the work force.

“I really enjoy working with [the students] and seeing their progress,” Schmitt said.

Newswire photo by Monica Laco

Intern Josh Shanor works with Vincent Lewis, the events coordinator for the Physical Plant.

11 a.m.- Stephen Twilling begins his duties restocking Outtakes in Hailstones. He takes inventory of the food and supplies and proceeds to the stock room in the basement of Gallagher.

Junior Nathan Locklear, who usually stocks Outtakes twice a day, helps Twilling find an elusive stock item, as well as other supplies. At one point, Twilling hesitates before grabbing more stock. “Don’t second guess yourself,” Locklear tells him.

11:30 a.m.- April Meyers finishes bussing tables at Ryan’s.

11:40 a.m.- Students assemble in the Project SEARCH room for lunch. Usually students pack or buy their lunches, but today the Nursing Department is throwing them a pizza party for completing a big project for their department.

12:10 p.m.- Some students disperse back to their job sites, while others remain in the room. Twilling is off to check the stock of Coffee Emporium; his routine is the same as that of at Outtakes. Gallagher is an enjoyable environment for Twilling. “I like helping people,” he said.

12:30 p.m.- While Twilling goes back to the stock room for round two, it’s back to room 250 for me, where students are folding church bulletins for Bellarmine. It is a project they do every Friday.

Landon Steele, a student who graduated from Xavier’s Project SEARCH program in the spring of 2009, came back to visit and fill everyone in on his job search. He is hoping to work at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital.

12:40 p.m.- James Ginn heads to the Gallagher Student Center computer lab to start his route. He is focused and fast as he travels from Gallagher to Elet to Cohen to the library and finally to Hailstones twice a day to check on the computer labs. He makes sure the printers are running smoothly, counts the reams of paper, and ensures the lab is clean and that there is no broken equipment.

Newswire photo by Monica Laco

Intern Theresa Breedan (right) helps out Marcia Canada (left) in the cafeteria.

1 p.m.- Haven, who spent two years specializing in interactive media before joining Project SEARCH, begins working on a spreadsheet for the Institutional Review Board in preparation for a project assembling their manuals.

1:40 p.m.- Students who are in the room begin journaling and reflecting on their day. They talk about weekend plans. Around 2 p.m., students who have been at their work sites return to the Project SEARCH room for journal writing.

2:15 p.m.- Breedan makes announcements about what the students will be doing next week and then dismisses them for the day.

LOOKING AHEAD...

On May 19, 2010, Project SEARCH participants will graduate from the program during a large ceremony in the Cintas Center ballroom. Students will hopefully have already secured a competitive job.

In the meantime, Project SEARCH wants to get the word out about its program.

“We’re hoping the more awareness we get, the more people can use the program,” said Heim. “The key,” said senior Tim Ogonek, student liaison for Project SEARCH, “is to focus on the ability, not the disability.”

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