Over the past 12 years, approximately 120 students with disabilities have gone through the Lee County High School (LCHS) Community-Based Vocational Instruction Program, gaining real-world experience with local businesses, nonprofits and other organizations. Eleven students are participating this school year.

“Thanks to our community partners, students are able to learn basic work skills and have the potential for employment after graduating. The students are excited to have a purpose and our business partners usually fall in love with them,” said Program Coordinator Amanda Wildes.

Among the program’s community partners over the last two years are The Albany Herald, Bennett’s Feed and Supply, Easter Seals, First Baptist Church Albany, Goodwill Industries, Harvey’s, Heldenberg Automotive, Kmart, Lee County Health Care, Magnolia Pet Salon and Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital.

“In addition to helping our kids, our business partners gain volunteer labor and the opportunity to train a worker with the option to hire them at the end of the program,” Wildes said. “Our goal is a full-time position for our students but we realize that is not always possible.”

After completing a career interest inventory, participating students are matched with a job opening at one of the program’s partner organizations. Among the matches this year are:

• Interested in a career in computer technology, Trip Block, a senior at LCHS, is working at Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital in the Revenue Management department. His work involves scanning anesthesia charge sheets into cabinets, drawers and folders; scanning case cards directly to patients’ charts in the hospital’s electronic documentation system; reconciling charges in the hospital’s supply system; entering departmental charges to patients’ account, and scanning audited sheets and itemized bills to folders within the hospital’s electronic documentation system.
• Katie Salter, a junior at LCHS, is interested in animals and is currently volunteering at Magnolia Pet Spa. She helps groom animals, maintains the animal living quarters, monitors play time and cleans equipment such as food bowls and cages.
• LCHS junior Ratna Malik is interested in working with small children or at a nursing home. She is currently volunteering at First Baptist Church Albany’s Weekday Education Program, where she assists teachers with lesson plans and daily activities, helps monitor children and makes copies.

Wildes meets with businesses and organizations in the community one-on-one to identify opportunities for program participants. To learn more about the LCHS Community-Based Vocational Instruction program, contact Amanda Wildes at [email protected].