A longtime collaboration with the Millard School District has been beefed up with the opening of the new Munroe-Meyer Institute building at 6902 Pine St.
The MMI Career Work Readiness Program, a job-training program for Millard students in transition, this year is serving 24 students – up from seven per year before the new building opened.
"MMI is partnering with Millard on several programs," said Rachel Ray, who oversees the program at MMI. "We’ve been partnering with Millard for this program on a smaller scale for the past two years. But now that we have the facilities, and we’re close to the University of Nebraska at Omaha campus, it’s much easier to have more students."
The students do office and environmental services work in the MMI building.
"They are supporting the National Core Indicator Project, so they do all of our mailings – prepping envelopes, trifolding, getting the letters ready to mail out," Ray said. "And they help with environmental services in our high-touch areas that are not clinical settings."
The students also oversee the second floor art display that features works from MMI’s recreational therapy clients and hangs opposite the observation area above the gym and pools.
"They choose the works and hang them," Ray said. "It’s a lot of fun."
The program, Ray said, complements Project SEARCH, because the Career Work Readiness Program is geared for students early in the transition period, who may become employable without attending Project SEARCH.
David Folds, 19, is in his first year of transition and eventually wants to be a gunsmith.
"My goal is just to be on my own and able to budget and work," he said, adding that he is enjoying the office work in the program.
Bri Davis, 18, said the people she works with at MMI "are a lot of fun."
Davis, who also works at Hy Vee as part of her Millard transition program, said she likes office work the best.
"I’d like to be a pet trainer and train animals — I love animals," she said.
Hayley Mentzer, who oversees the transition services for young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities for the Millard School District, said the MMI program has been a "blessing" at a time when the pandemic has curtailed transition opportunities for students.
"We are trying to come up with ways to get our students that vocational experience," Mentzer said. "Partnering with MMI is enabling us to do that."
Mentzer said she appreciates the many ways Millard and MMI have partnered, including a social skills club with the MMI Department of Recreational Therapy, the Trailblazer program that offers a college experience and other efforts.
"Working with students who are aging to 21 with disabilities, my biggest fear when they leave public school is their ability to stay connected in the community," she said.
She has high hopes for the students in the MMI program, though.
"I do see them being employable," she said. "And work opportunities, whether paid or even volunteer, that’s where they have social networks and stay connected with their community."