Gov. Markell Praises Project SEARCH at Christiana Care

Gov. Jack Markell visited the first Project SEARCH classroom in Delaware at Christiana Care Health System on Friday, March 30.

Christiana Care is the inaugural employer in Delaware to host Project SEARCH, a nationally recognized program dedicated to training individuals with disabilities to obtain job skills necessary to secure competitive employment and possess the self-confidence to enter the workforce after graduation.

“I am overjoyed to be here. This event is the highlight of my day,” said Gov. Markell. Addressing the student interns, he said, “You are learning skills here that will benefit you for the rest of your life.”

The cornerstone of the project is total immersion in the employment environment coupled with continued classroom training and mentoring.

Nine students from the Red Clay Consolidated School district currently attend classes each day at Christiana Hospital to learn valuable workplace skills while also working as interns in several departments at the hospital.

“Our participation in the program is an example of how Christiana Care embraces innovative programs to benefit our community, transform the care we provide and add greater value by fostering learning and inclusion,” said Robert Laskowski, M.D., Christiana Care president and CEO.

“Programs like this demonstrate how we can change our culture,” said Mervin Daugherty, Ph.D., superintendent of Red Clay Consolidated School District. “Everyone here is committed to our children. When we commit to our children, we bring about change in society.”

Project SEARCH is seeking additional business sponsors in Delaware.

Current partners in Project SEARCH are Christiana Care, the Red Clay Consolidated School District, Goodwill of Delaware and Delaware County, Inc., and the State of Delaware’s Department of Education and Department of Labor, Division of Vocational Rehabilitation.

More on Gov. Markell’s visit to Project SEARCH:

• News Journal
• WDEL News Radio