FOCUS ON abilityFULL STEAM AHEAD FOR PROJECT SEARCH!

A Newsletter by ODC, Inc. FALL 2015

Empowering People With Disabilites To Achieve

Walk into the Aspirus Riverview Hospital lobby and there is a feeling of calm and comfort. Walk down to the lower level and into the new Project SEARCH classroom, and all of that changes.

On any given day, you’ll see Stef Tryba, the Wisconsin Rapids Public Schools instructor dedicated to Project SEARCH, gearing students up for the work day with an hour of classroom activity. The mood is energetic, and there is excitement about what lies ahead.

You may also see Christina Williams, one of Aspirus Riverview’s employment coordinators for Project SEARCH. She has been working diligently alongside other Project SEARCH partners on start-up of this high school transitional program for students with intellectual disabilities. Williams has been responsible for developing student internship opportunities within a wide variety of hospital departments, and is

SEE PROJECT SEARCH / PAGE 3

Introducing the Wisconsin Rapids Project SEARCH class of 2015-16! They are (L to R): TOP ROW – Cobretti, David, Jordan, Colton and Austin; MIDDLE ROW – Ryan, Nichole, Taylor and Kody; BOTTOM ROW – Tabby, Emily and Anthony.

About Project SEARCH Project SEARCH is an internationally recognized model of employment training for young adults with disabilities. The program was developed in 1996 by Nurse J. Erin Riehle, then the director of the emergency department at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center (CCHMC). As the flagship program, CCHMC provides technical assistance for replication and overall leadership to Project SEARCH worldwide.

p2 Opportunity Development Centers, Inc.

In Our Own Words

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This column, In Our Own Words, features the inspiring words and stories of those on the front lines of ODC’s mission: our staff, our volunteers and our supporters, as well as the parents and caregivers of people with disabilities. Together, we achieve!

I’ve been thinking about our 2015 Locals on

Stage performance since September 12th, the

day of the show. Something about the event

just won’t let me be.

At first, it was the aftermath of the “rush” of

my behind-the-scenes role at Locals. Making

sure that everything was in its place for the

performers, and coordinating the large group

of volunteers that assisted with ushering and

ticket sales and general “whatever you need”

duties... so many people giving of their precious time to make sure that

all of our guests had a wonderful experience at the show.

Then it was the music. For two days afterward, I couldn’t get the songs

out of my head… I’d wake up singing “Rock, Paper, Scissors”, a tune

performed by ODC President Pam Ross and her band, Tilly’s Village,

then hum it all day.

But what has really stuck with me is an image of my mom. She had

never been to a Locals on Stage performance but this year, at the last

minute, her schedule cleared. She was so excited to be able to see the

show! I sat with her when I could, on and off between attending to my

work, and I was able to be with her just as the show was ending. After

the show’s very touching finale, I asked her, “Well, what did you think?”

She took off her glasses and wiped her eyes, then smiled. Later, she told

me that she had shed a tear again while telling my dad about the show.

What got her, I think, was that most primitive of human emotions that

we feel when we’re a part of something bigger. When we all come

together to celebrate the good that is around and in us.

Not just the finale, but the whole show was a celebration of community,

of coming together. The singing, the dancing, the cheering, the acting…

local volunteer talent reaching out and touching the audience in a kind

of “group hug”, making everyone feel connected. At the end of the

show, all of the performers of varying ages and abilities took the stage

and raised lighted candles into the air – then the crowd also stood and

raised their candles high.

My hope is that the emotions carried with us when the show was

over will endure... that we continue to feel the sense of a community

united in purpose. A community that benefits from the abilities and

contributions of all of its members.

Jennifer Blum, Director of Community and Donor Relations

Empowering People With Disabilites To Achieve p3

PROJECT SEARCHCONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

now assisting Tryba and ODC job coaches in getting this first class of students out into the work environment. Each of the 12 students will rotate through internships in three different hospital departments throughout the school year.

“Even this early in their first internship rotation, the students have been very well received,” said Williams. “Some of our departments weren’t really sure what to expect, so they came up with a list of tasks that they thought an intern would be able to perform; already, staff have been pleasantly surprised at how able the interns are! They are now developing additional tasks for the students, who are ready to move on to bigger things – that’s awesome!”

Internships are taking place in a cross-section of clinical and clerical environments within the hospital, including Community Relations, Environmental Services, Education, Family Birthplace, Family Clinic, Food and Nutrition, Imaging, Laboratory, Medical Affairs, Outpatient Rehabilitation, Pharmacy, Wound Healing, the hospital “tower” and Volunteer Services. Between each of the three internships, students will participate in mock interviews to hone their interviewing skills.

“The same set of questions will be asked at each of the students’ three mock interviews,” said Williams. “We hope to see progression from the students as they work through three internships and three sets of interviews, before they have to interview ‘for real’!”

Excitement about this first year of the Wisconsin Rapids Project SEARCH program is not restricted to the student participants. According to Williams, everyone at the hospital has been energized by the experience thus far.

“We all feel good,” she said. “We see the interns in the hallway… they’re happy to be here, and we’re happy to have them! It feels like they’ve really acclimated to the workforce in just a few weeks. It’s like a little family here, and they have become a part of our family.”

TOP: Taylor’s first rotation is in Environmental Services. She said, “I clean, and then I clean again! Everything needs to be very sanitary.” | MIDDLE: Emily’s first internship is a clerical position within the hospital’s Education Department. Each student has a “mentor” in their department, a staff member that provides support and guidance in addition to the support provided by ODC job coaches. | BOTTOM: Alice Wallner, one of ODC’s Project SEARCH job coaches, said of David’s internship in the Pharmacy, “There is no doubt in my mind that he will never make a mistake – he has that much attention to detail.”

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BRAVO! BRAVO! BRAVO!At ODC, we’re giving a big “shout out” to everyone who helped make the 2015 Locals on Stage event a huge success! And the list is long… our tremendous

all local, all volunteer line-up of talent; our show

director and stage crew; the superb sound and

lighting team at the Wisconsin Rapids Performing

Arts Center; the volunteer team that sold tickets,

tended to the performers, took photographs and

ushered our audience members; and everyone that

donated money or goods to support the event.

Thanks, also, to those who joined us for the show… to

everyone, we say, “Bravo”!

Empowering People With Disabilites To Achieve p5

To see more photos of the event, visit our

Facebook page.

p6 Opportunity Development Centers, Inc.

Congratulations to the first four graduates of ODC’s Convenience Store Certificate of Competency Program! They were recently honored in a ceremony at ODC’s Marshfield center, complete with cake and ice cream!

The Certificate of Competency program brings together a number of community partners including ODC, Weiler Convenience Stores and Mid-State Technical College in Marshfield, the Wisconsin Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (DVR), and Community Care Connections of Wisconsin (CCCW). Earlier this year, ODC and Weiler stores worked together with Mid-State to develop a curriculum that includes

the essential functions of a service industry position – inventory management, stocking, customer service, store maintenance and the like. Utilizing the curriculum, ODC staff now provide on-site education and training at Weiler stores. Upon completion of the training, individuals are tested on all essential functions, and Weiler store staff “sign off ” on the Certificate of Competency. Graduates of the program are then assisted in their job searches by the ODC employment team, DVR and CCCW.

Congratulations, graduates!

TOP LEFT: Amy’s proud parents, Colleen and David, were on hand to congratulate her after the celebration. | TOP RIGHT: Stuart was the program’s first graduate, and he was subsequently hired by Weiler Convenience Stores as a Retail Helper in one of their Marshfield locations. | BOTTOM LEFT: ODC staff, workers, parents and other guests gathered to honor the first Convenience Store Certificate of Competency program graduating class. Pictured here are (left to right) graduates Stuart, Amy, Mark and Virginia. | BOTTOM RIGHT: Virginia (right) received her certificate from ODC Job Coach Shari Hebert, who provides on-site training and support at Weiler stores to all certificate program participants. With the assistance of ODC employment staff, Virginia was recently hired in a retail position at Younkers in Marshfield.

HAIL TO THE GRADUATES!

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SEASONAL SWEETSfrom ODC's Hidden Creek Kitchen! Lyle Lang

ChairpersonPresidentLang Furniture

Luke WeilandVice-ChairpersonAttorneyLuke A. Weiland, Attorney at Law, LLC

Josh LinnSecretaryAdministrative ManagerThe Bridge Center

Lori GroppTreasurerAcademic Business Systems Manager, Division of EducationMarshfield Clinic

Layton AndersonVice President of Hospital OperationsMinistry Saint Joseph’s Hospital

John CorrigallVP Human Resources & AdministrationRenaissance Learning, Inc.

Brenda DillenburgMarshfield Campus DeanMid-State Technical College

Dave EckmannSpecial Assistant to the Chancellor,Economic DevelopmentUWSP

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2015-16 ODC, Inc.

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Opportunity Development Centers, Inc.1191 Huntington AvenueWisconsin Rapids, WI 54494

WE CAN’T DO IT WITHOUT YOU!You are a partner in ODC’s mission,

and your support helps so many people achieve their goals.

Please watch your mail for ODC’s Annual Appeal, coming to you during the month of November.

YOUR GIFT WILL TRULY MAKE A DIFFERENCE!