Omaha, Neb. — Embassy Suites and the Courtyard La Vista Sales Director David Scott went over and beyond to help make Project SEARCH in the city achieve overwhelming success.
Project SEARCH is an initiative aimed to assist individuals with learning disabilities train in real-life workplaces, and eventually find permanent employment.
It was nearly two years ago since the initiative was first launched at the La Vista hotel complex. Ever since then, Scott and his team at the Embassy Suites and the Courtyard saw about 94% of their trainees successfully move on to becoming regular employees– a lot higher than Project SEARCH’s national rate of 65%.
Bruce Peoples, a 22-year-old with autism who previously interned at the Embassy Suites and the Courtyard, is one of the trainees whom Scott was able to help achieve what used to seem unachievable.
Peoples just recently bought his own car and moved in to his new apartment.
Another one of the trainees, Darien Christensen, who was diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), has greatly improved on his working skills that a guest had even handed him a $100 tip.
Scott has been working doubly hard not only to get the hotel’s Project SEARCH trainees into permanent employment, but also to see to it that the training program would help as many individuals with disabilities as they can. According to Scott:
“When I discovered what it was all about, it blew me away. Seeing the growth — it’s a no-brainer.”
The team that helps the initiative achieve massive success, including Scott, has become increasingly attached to the trainees that one of the hotel’s employees, Christine Martinez, cries every time a trainee moves on from the program.
Scott added that seeing how happy the trainees’ parents are upon seeing their child getting a shot at having a real future, motivates him even more.
Contributed by Althea Estrella Violeta