The Choice Group

Ethan and his Vocational Counselor Nancy McNamara began working together in late 2015. Ethan showed a great interest in working in the food service industry, but he did not have a work history and lives in a rural area with limited employers. Ethan has difficulty answering questions and articulating his abilities in an interview, so Nancy advocated for working interviews. The Owner at Don Pancho's Cantina in Franklin determined Ethan would be an asset to them and decided to give him a chance. Ethan does well in his job because he is friendly and hardworking. Management always makes note of how much the customers love Ethan. They also can always depend on Ethan coming to work on time with a great attitude. His current tasks are to buss tables, clean the parking lot, and host. Hosting includes greeting and seating people and giving them menus, bringing them chips, salsa and silverware. Nancy maintains monthly communication with the Managers and Owner of Don Pancho's, a...

Joshua and his vocational counselor, Justin, began working together in April of this year. Together they found an available position at a local KFC restaurant where Joshua has been employed for the last six months.  In the beginning, Joshua and Justin completed several assessments to determine Josh's interests and the positions that would be the best fit.  This was followed by interviews and finally a job offer. Although having to overcome difficulties with social skills, including being comfortable speaking with others, Joshua’s social skills have improved greatly. Justin helped Joshua work on new ways to approach and greet guests, as well as helping him to remember his daily job duties, which have also significantly improved since first starting employment at KFC.  Joshua has a strong drive to learn new things which has really helped him in his job. He has a very positive attitude and is always excited to come to work. Some of his job duties include washing...

Phil Swinford's house is full of tech that helps him live more independently, but he's betting it's also going to help him to walk again. (Phil Swinford plays music on his phone.Megan Wollerton/CNET) " OK Google , text Pamela ICE [in case of emergency]," says retired US Army Col. Phil Swinford from his home in the Virginia suburbs, roughly an hour's drive from Washington, DC. He's using Google Assistant on his Android phone to talk to his wife, Pam, who's working today at her consignment shop, the Copper Cricket, a few miles away. I'm listening in, which feels a little too invasive, but it's OK: This text is just for demo purposes. "Sure," Google's AI responds. "What's the message?" "Hey, babe. I love you," Phil says clearly and deliberately into his phone. "I got, 'Hey, babe. I love you,'" it speaks back to him. "Do you wanna send it or change it?" "Send i...

Alex was referred to the Choice Group by the Virginia Department for Aging and Rehabilitative Services in April 2016, and was paired with a Vocational Counselor. Alex had earned a diploma in 2016 from Ocean Lakes High School and participated in a Work Experience Program at the Oceana Commissary Bakery in Virginia Beach. She received assistance in applying for a paid position at the Commissary, and was hired as a Bakery Associate. Alex learned the position with help from her Vocational Counselor, and has worked part time for nearly three years, packaging portions of baked goods in support of the bakery. Alex’s supervisor said that Alex does a good job, follows the rules regarding safety and proper procedures, and enjoys talking with her coworkers while she works. She receives high marks on evaluations from her supervisors, and her smile brightens the mood of all around her. Alex has benefited from her supportive parents, helpful staff and management at the Oceana Commissa...

Kristin and Nancy began working together in June of 2018. Together they then found her a job at a local Pizza Hut in September of that year. Kristin was interested in customer service, food service or animal care so finding the position at Pizza Hut was a great fit. There are limited employers in her area so they looked at the few employers that were in her area and also branched out to Smithfield. Smithfield is the closest town with employers and that is where she found the job.  Kristin is very friendly and easy going so it is easy for her to get along with everyone. Kristin is highly motivated to learn new things, which has paid off in her job as a crew member. She was hired as a Customer Service Representative, but now also serves customers and runs the register.  Upon trying to place her in a job in her area, Nancy and Kristin faced a couple of other obstacles. Kristin relies on her mom to transport her at this time and has had a very limited work history. In the...

Nancy NcNamara began working with Derrick in 2016, the same year he landed the job in which he currently works. Three years ago, Derrick was looking to work in the food service industry in the kitchen. Together, he and Nancy found a job at Anna’s Ristorante: Pasta, Vino and Pizza. Not having prior work experience and living in Smithfield where there are limited restaurants, Derrick knew he would have to start out washing dishes, which he does not mind. Along with dishwashing he has also quickly moved up to food prep, fry cooking and sandwich/ sub making. Derrick is very easy-going and personable, everyone that meets him likes him. His coworkers love working with him and think he is a great asset to the restaurant. He is hardworking and dedicated to his job which has made it easy for him to take on more duties and responsibilities. Nancy visits him monthly to check on his progress and has noticed that he has become less shy and had opened up a lot since he started working at Anna’s...

Sean and Nancy began working together in 2014 where they were able to find him a position at a local grocery store. The store was then bought out, along with many others, and converted to a Kroger. Luckily, Sean was able to secure his position and began work at the Kroger in August of 2018. At the time, he was in the follow along program and Nancy was able to help him apply to the position at Kroger so he could continue working. Sean went into PES in 2018 so that Nancy could help him apply for the position and learn how they expected him to do his Courtesy Clerk position. Nancy helped him through this transition and then Sean went back into follow along. When Nancy and Sean first started working together, he was interested in working in a grocery store, but there were only two in the area. Sean had to stay in the area for work because he relies on his parents for transportation, which was a bit challenging but ended up working out just fine. Since beginning his work back...

“All my life I have had to prove people wrong… but I am not easily intimidated.” Alberto Gamboa shares about the career he has built, in spite of expectations from a young age that he would not accomplish much because of his disability.  Alberto was born in Columbia with Cerebral Palsy. Doctors feared he would not live, much less lead a successful life. He defied all expectations by making a life for himself and building a meaningful career that has lasted decades.   As a teenager, Alberto came to the United States and worked his way through college as a dishwasher in Florida. He began his professional career working with the children of migrant families through the Palm Beach County School Board and received a Masters of Science in Organizational Leadership.  For twenty years, Alberto worked full time in spite of the physical limitations he experienced as a result of Cerebral Palsy. He began as a community resource facilitator for migrant families and grew wit...

Mary Chris Werner began working with Akia Turner in February of 2018 and has been employed at Zoup for over a year, where her and Mary Chris feel she is a great fit. Originally Akia was looking for a stocking position but Mary Chris helped open her up to the option of working in food services. Akia is diligent, hardworking and polite to her fellow employees and the customers she serves. She has great time management skills which help her with completing daily tasks on time and her personality is perfect for customer interaction. When she first started to apply and interview for jobs she was a little quiet and shy but has truly blossomed. This was her first job, therefore, she had to overcome the obstacles many face when starting a new position or beginning their first job. In the beginning she had trouble taking initiative, but being there for a year now, she has found her voice. She has shown improvement and helps when business picks up by increasing her hours as needed. She alw...

Rachel McGregor, Vocational Counselor, was serving the Hampton Roads area when Quanita became her client in 2014. Quanita works at a local movie theatre in the area and has been an employee there since 2013. After Quanita graduated from Project SEARCH in 2013 she began looking for a job that would fit the skills she had learned while working at the hospital during her internship. Her tasks at the movie theatre include following a task list to determine which theatres to clean after showings, maintaining the restrooms and keeping the lobby area up to par for guests. Quanita is very reliable, and will pick up any shift she is asked to work. She also has a lot of energy and can work on her feet for long periods of time. Quanita is very independent and lives close to work so she is able to walk if she is unable to find a ride.  Obstacles Quanita has overcome in her position include limiting her socializing and identifying professional work boundaries. Quanita is very friendl...

Pictured here are our Project SEARCH Norfolk Interns on their visit to various City of Norfolk resources during their workshop week. This helps the interns become more familiar with what services are out there for them as they are entering adulthood and the workforce. They have just finished their 2nd internship and will be starting their 3rd internship in the next week! We are so proud of all of the work they have done and everything they have accomplished thus far during their internship. Vocational Counselor, Rachel McGregor, shared this photo of the interns in-front of one of the buildings they visited and has had the pleasure of working with each one of them along their journey. 

As soon as you walk into this grocery store you can’t miss Gina Loucks. She will be the first person to greet you and ask if she can help you. As a Courtesy Clerk, Gina is responsible for completing floor sweeps, collecting carts, bagging groceries, helping customers find products, and taking groceries out to customers’ cars. She has been working at her current employer since 2011 and loves what she does.  Ericka Neville, Vocational Counselor from The Choice Group, began working with Gina in 2010 to help her find a job that would be a good match for her skills and abilities. Gina is a people person and gets joy from helping others. Gina and Ericka worked to identify positions where she could interact with others, submitted applications, and practiced interviewing skills together. When Gina attended an interview with this grocery store, she knew right away that this was the job she wanted.  She was hired, began working in May 2011, and to this day continues to give 100% du...

Rachel McGregor began working with Jamalerri in the summer of 2014. He has been working in his current position since the summer of 2015. When the grocery store he was working at closed, he was picked up by another grocery store and has been working there beginning in the summer of 2018. In his initial job search, Jamalerri wanted an employer he was comfortable with. He had some work experience in a grocery store in high school and knew he enjoyed the environment. He worked in 3 different rotations while in Project SEARCH and learned what he enjoyed and did not enjoy about different jobs. Jamalerri went on a few interviews and was offered other positions, but did not feel those offers were right for him. Once he interviewed for the position at the grocery store and was offered the job, he knew it was the right job for him. Upon being offered the job at the grocery store, Jamalerri had to overcome some communication barriers. He had been issued an iPod to help with communication, b...

Here are some great photo highlights of this year's Special Olympics Virginia that took place last weekend at the University of Richmond's Robins Stadium!