Manassas, VA – On June 6, the second class of Project SEARCH participants in Manassas graduated from the program, which seeks to help students transition successfully from school to adult life. Graduates honored at the celebration were Rene Cruz, Gurjit Kaur, Dakota Khan, Pierre Martinez, Pierce Shepard, and Raymond Young.
“You’re revolutionaries in a way, revolutionizing the way that agencies like ours work together to support your wildest dreams of going to work,” said Jim Rothrock, Commissioner of the Virginia Department of Aging and Rehabilitative Services (DARS).
Three of the six program participants have already been offered permanent employment in the community and the others continue to seek work opportunities.
Find out what's happening in Manassasfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
The Project SEARCH program at Novant Prince William Medical Center brings a unique opportunity to high school seniors with disabilities to gain real world experience in a healthcare setting. The program is a partnership between the hospital, Manassas City Public Schools, DARS, and Didlake, Inc. The school system provides the participants and instructors, the hospital provides the work opportunities, DARS provides funding and determines the eligibility of the students, and Didlake provides the on-site job coaching support, and job placement and training services. The local partnership is part of the international Project SEARCH program and is one of 11 such partnerships across the Commonwealth of Virginia.
At the graduation, Didlake President and CEO Rex Parr announced that in addition to a new class at Novant, Didlake will be part of a new Project SEARCH partnership in Portsmouth, Va. for the 2013-2014 school year through collaboration with Virginia Commonwealth University and DARS. The program will focus on students with autism.
Find out what's happening in Manassasfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
About Didlake
Didlake, Inc. is a not-for-profit corporation headquartered in Manassas, Virginia. It was founded in 1965 to create opportunities for people with disabilities through services that connect them to employment, education and the community. It provides contract business services for commercial and government customers and has won numerous awards for its facilities maintenance; packaging/ assembly; and administrative services. The organization operates throughout the Washington, D.C. metro area, in the Roanoke Valley and in Greater Hampton Roads. It serves more than 1,700 people with disabilities annually. Didlake, Inc. is licensed by the Commonwealth of Virginia, accredited by CARF and proudly serves the nation through the AbilityOne program. Its partners include the Virginia Department of Rehabilitative Services, local Community Services Boards and United Way of the National Capital Area. For more information, visit www.didlake.org.
