Briana Hall and Sara McCarry, both of the Parkland School District, recently graduated from Good Shepherd Rehabilitation Network's Project Search program.

Eight Good Shepherd Rehabilitation Network interns and four Lehigh County interns were honored June 13 during ceremonies in the Conrad W. Raker Center multipurpose room, Allentown.

Project Search helps students with various disabilities learn soft skills and self-advocacy skills needed for today's competitive job marketplace.

The nine-month program places the students in various jobs at Good Shepherd and provides the participants with real world experiences and the skills they need to become valued employees for local businesses and organizations.

This past fall, a Project Search program was also initiated in Lehigh County.

Interns worked at the Lehigh County government building, Lehigh Valley Zoo and Cedarbrook Nursing Home.

Four of this year's Good Shepherd graduates have already secured employment.

Two of Good Shepherd Project Search graduates are working at Cedarbrook Nursing Home, Fountain Hill, as hospitality aides and another graduate is working for Goodwill Keystone Area at Kraft Foods.

Good Shepherd is the first Project Search site in the state.

The program, which originated at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center in 1997, is a partnership between Good Shepherd Rehabilitation Network, Carbon-Lehigh Intermediate Unit 21, the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation and the Office of Intellectual Disabilities, both in Lehigh County.