Y O U R C O M M U N I T Y W E E K LY
STORY COUNTY
INSIDE: REAL ESTATE WEEKLY • COMMUNITY NEWS V O L U M E 9 , I S S U E 2 9 • W E D N E S D A Y, O C T O B E R 19 , 2 016
Arc of Story County, ISU partner to teach important work skills October is Disability Awareness Month in Iowa and the Arc of Story County is celebrating the accomplishments of four young people achieving great goals through a unique partnership between Iowa State University’s College of Human Sciences and The Arc of Story County. Project SEARCH launched in August of this year. The four selected students will complete the program in April 2017. Recent high school graduates Andy Casady, Paige Fritz, Julia Martin and Tom Burbey are participating in the program hosted by ISU’s College of Human Sciences and The Arc of Story County. It is an intense schoolto-work training program
2016-17 Project SEARCH class, from left, Julia Martin, Paige Fritz, Skills Instructor Lauren Wernau, Andy Casady and Tom Burbey. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
with the goal of helping individuals with disabilities develop the skills necessary for gainful employment
following completion of the program. Lauren Wernau, program coordinator at
The Arc of Story County and Project SEARCH Skills instructor, spends 16 hours a week teaching the
students in the classroom and the rest of her week as a job coach, providing handson assistance to interns or facilitating communication with each of the intern supervisors. Wernau leads Andy, Paige, Julia and Tom through a national curriculum that teaches communication, goal setting, interviewing, resume writing, and the job application process to help prepare students for becoming future employees and contributing members of society. Each student participates in rigorous goal setting and then works hard to achieve those goals through classroom skills training and also through on-the-job experience in a rotational internship
program at ISU. In addition to skills training, the group functions as a close-knit team, spending time talking openly about their fears and challenges, successes and opportunities, and feelings about people, the program, themselves and each other. Julia Martin beams with pride when talking about achieving her goals. She interns five days a week with the Human Development and Family Studies department, half her time performing administrative tasks and the other half of her time working at the Child Lab School, preparing snacks, doing dishes, and her favorite “job” — reading to the preschool children. See page 2