Page 6 - JobReady December Issue 2018

Project SEARCH Graduate Gets to Work And Give Back To Her Community
®
harnette Freeman said
she loves going to
Cwork every day and the
children she works with love
having her there as well.
Freeman applied for Project
SEARCH Arkansas in the fall
®
of 2015. Project SEARCH
®
Arkansas is implemented in
partnership between ACCESS
Group, Inc. and Arkansas
Rehabilitation Services (ARS)
that is designed to prepare
young adults with intellectual
and developmental disabilities
for competitive integrated
employment. After successfully
participating in interviews Project SEARCH Graduate Charnette Freeman (center) loves being able to work with
®
and assessments, she was children in her home community of Forrest City.
selected to participate in the
Arkansas Children’s Hospital
Project SEARCH site fall 2016, amazing, and when Charnette said Judy Smith, Transition
®
graduating May 2017. applied for the job I thought it Director of Special Projects at
The ACCESS staff was an excellent opportunity for the Arkansas Department of
worked with her family and someone from our community to Career Education. “Observing
other stakeholders to secure be able to come back and work her at work, was an absolutely
competitive integrated in the school district,” said Dr. joyful experience, the
employment for Freeman in her Tiffany Hardrick, Superintendent holistic human growth, and
home community. Forrest City of the Forrest City School development I witnessed on
School District hired her to work District. her job were so pronounced,
in their pre-school program in From teaching shapes it seemed unshakeable. She
August of 2017. and colors to fixing lunches to always presented herself as
“I love my job,” Freeman wiping tears, Charnette loves kind, graceful, mild-mannered
said. “I always knew what I all aspects of her job, and her young lady but achieving
wanted to do; I wanted to work enthusiasm is evident to anyone employment seems to have had
with kids.” who sees her. a tremendous impact on her as
Freeman who is a 2010 “I had the benefit of serving a person.”
graduate of Forrest City High on the interview team that Freeman has just signed her
School loves being able to interviewed Ms. Freeman contract for her second year
work with children in her home and observed her during the at the school and is looking
community, a fact not lost on nine-month Project SEARCH forward to continuing to grow
®
the school district. “Programs training and witnessed her and learn and give back.
like Project SEARCH are growth during those times,”
®

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