Valued Voice

WHA Foundation Announces 2022 Global Vision Community Partnership Award Winners

The WHA Foundation is proud to announce the 2022 Global Vision Community Partnership Award winners.

Project SEARCH – Ascension Mercy Hospital
Project SEARCH is a collaborative program preparing young people with significant disabilities for success in competitive integrated employment. This program provides real-life work experience combined with training in employability and independent living skills, with the goal of helping to make successful transitions from school to productive adult life. Students’ progress toward their personal goals are assessed at regular intervals with their vocational coaches. Immediate goals could include improving time management, maintaining better focus or staying on task. After completion of the program, students develop longer term goals based on employment options and living independently. Students in the program are also supported by business advisors, department managers and peer mentors during and after the internship process.
 
House of Mercy Homeless Center – Mercyhealth
The House of Mercy Homeless Center is a 25-bed homeless center which provides up to 60-day, short-term emergency shelter and programming to help single women and families access housing, find job placements, improve health and secure needed childcare and parenting resources. The ultimate goal is to help clients transition to stable, permanent housing and decrease overall recidivism. After beginning its services in 1996, the program continues to fulfill its purpose, including diverting hundreds of people from entering the homeless response system while working with community partners to educate and uplift clients, helping to address the root causes of their homelessness and find stable housing.

Established in 1993, the Global Vision Community Partnership Award’s goal is to provide recognition, financial support and public awareness of a community health initiative or project, created in partnership with a WHA member, that successfully addresses a documented community health need. Partnerships must reach across the community or population served and the program must be an active, ongoing enterprise at the time of the nomination.