It’s not every day you see a Signing Day for students who aren’t headed to college sports—but next week in Grand Junction, nine young people will commit to something just as life-changing: joining the workforce.

These students, all of whom have developmental or intellectual disabilities, will officially sign on as interns with Project SEARCH, a yearlong transition-to-work program that blends education, job training, and confidence-building—all with one end goal in mind: employment.

More Than a Ceremony, It’s a Commitment

Tuesday’s Signing Day won’t be a flashy affair, but it means the world to the students involved. They’ll gather at the Monument View Medical Plaza, pose with Community Hospital’s mascot FLIP the Flying Pig, and enjoy an ice cream social.

But the real moment? It’s when each student signs their contract.

“These interns are agreeing to attend the program, get some employment skills, some job skills and to look for employment after they graduate,” said Martha Christen, the Project SEARCH instructor. “It’s a rigorous program and the students are agreeing to spend one year working very hard to meet their employment goals.”

For many, this is their first official step into adult life.

A Collaborative Model That Works

Project SEARCH isn’t just one group trying to make a difference. It’s a full-on partnership that brings together STRiVE, Community Hospital, and School District 51. Since launching in 2023, it’s become a model for how local institutions can team up to support youth with disabilities.

But this isn’t charity work. It’s workforce development.

“This program is about building real, marketable job skills,” said Karen Martsolf, Chief Marketing and Communications Officer at Community Hospital. “Project SEARCH is a collaborative initiative that involves businesses, educational institutions, vocational rehabilitation services, developmental disability organizations, and supported employment agencies.”

And it’s not just about the students. She added, “By joining forces, these entities can better coordinate services for individuals, resulting in smoother transitions to employment for young people with disabilities and reduced costs for the agencies involved.”

It’s a win-win.

Building Skills—and Confidence

The curriculum is a blend of classroom instruction, career exploration, and hands-on internships. Over the year, interns rotate through different departments, learning skills like inventory management, patient transport, administrative tasks, and customer service.

The work is real. The expectations are real. And so is the growth.

Some students might breeze through a typical high school job fair and land something by the weekend. Not here. Christen points out that students in Project SEARCH often face extra hurdles.

“It might come easily to [some students], but these students, they need to work at it a little harder,” she said. “Some of the students with disabilities have a lot of barriers to employment and so this program gives them job skills and employment skills that they need for entry-level positions.”

That effort makes their success even sweeter.

Why This Matters—To Everyone

There’s a big picture here that often gets overlooked. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the employment-population ratio for people with a disability was just 21.3% in 2024. Compare that with 65.8% for those without disabilities.

Programs like Project SEARCH don’t just boost numbers—they change lives.

Let’s break down what interns receive during the program:

• Daily instruction in employability and independent living skills

• Rotational job placements in hospital departments

• One-on-one coaching and job site mentoring

• Career development support after graduation

And yes, there’s also that first job offer moment. Christen said it never gets old. “That look on their faces when they get an offer—it’s just magic,” she said.

Celebration, Then Work Begins

The students signing on next week will be the third class to enter the program in Grand Junction. Each intern brings their own strengths, challenges, and story. By next spring, if all goes to plan, many of them will be ready to graduate not just from school—but straight into a job.

Signing Day kicks off August 5 from 5:00 to 6:00 p.m. in the Monument Conference Rooms at Monument View Medical Plaza, located at 688 23 1/2 Road.

It might look like a simple ceremony, but make no mistake—it’s a major milestone.