Recently, civic and religious leaders, residents, family and friends joined together to celebrate the Town’s renaming of a portion of Brookhaven Avenue in Bellport in honor of Bishop Ralph L. Jefferson, founder of the Jefferson Temple Church of God in Christ.
Bishop Jefferson, who recently celebrated his 80th birthday, is a decorated veteran who was wounded in action during the Korean War. In 1964, he started his church in a twelve seat taxi stand and later established four churches in Port Jefferson, Selden, Centereach and
Bellport. In 1988, he was voted “Man of the Year” by the Long Island Advance. Bishop Jefferson is held in high regard and respected by residents of the Bellport area for his many years of service to the community.
Nine students from the Eastern Suffolk BOCES (ESBOCES) Islip Career Center (ICC) in Oakdale have been chosen to participate in Project SEARCH. Beginning September 9th, they will be immersed in internships at Medford Multicare Center. This grant-funded pilot program is designed to train, educate, and assist students with disabilities transition from school to the adult world and obtain and maintain competitive employment. Several internships are available in the areas of facilities maintenance,
central supply, laundry, housekeeping, recreation, and rehabilitation. The internships are based on the students’ interests, strengths, and needs using curriculum established by the Project SEARCH organization. Project SEARCH Long Island is modeled after the highly successful Project SEARCH at the University of Rochester (U of R) Medical Center. Data compiled by U of R indicates that 82% of students who successfully complete Project SEARCH will become gainfully employed. The United States Department of
Labor reports a 17.8% employment rate for people with disabilities. Chief Operating Officer Gary Bixhorn said, “We continually pilot new initiatives to benefit the educational experience for all of our students and we believe that Project SEARCH Long Island will be a wonderful opportunity for our students with special needs to gain the skills necessary to transition into the adult world with self-confidence, and become independent and competitively employed.”
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Street Dedication
Project SEARCH
Suffolk Zone 4 - NEIGHBOR NEWSPAPERS - Wednesday AUGUST 21, 2013 • www.southbaysneighbor.com
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