Progress has now launched Quarterly Deliveries for the Taking Care of Business program! Taking Care of Business provides pre-vocational training for people with disabilities. Progress Ambassadors deliver a dozen donuts to local businesses, and during the delivery have an opportunity to practice shaking hands, introducing themselves and work on communication skills. The program aims to provide exposure to many different types of business settings to people who are interested in learning to work, while encouraging local businesses to interact with and consider candidates with disabilities for roles within their companies. Deliveries help the people Progress supports connect further with the local community, and helps the local community get to know their neighbors with disabilities better. 

Quarterly deliveries are just that - deliveries made on a quarterly basis for businesses who sign up. Quarterly deliveries consist of different items that offices may need or enjoy, including office plants, beverage mixes, and more. 

The first quarterly deliveries took place on June 12th, and ambassadors made deliveries to The Nashville Predators, Warner Elementary and Crichton Group. 

To sign up for a one-time donut delivery or the quarterly delivery program, sign up here. 

We are so proud of Jamal for winning The Arc's Work Initiative Award! The Work Initiative Award is given to one individual who is an employee with a disability who has positively contributed to a workplace setting.

Jamal has worked in janitorial services at Progress since 2017. In just two and a half years he grew exponentially and is now a vital part of the Progress team. Jamal began his role with a job coach, Chris Carr, who supported him as he learned the ropes of the job. Within months, Jamal was working without a job coach and able to be completely independent throughout his day. He empties trash cans and recycling, cleans the bathrooms, shreds documents, and keeps Progress looking tidy throughout the week.
 
In addition to his exceptional work ethic, Jamal greets every single person with a big smile and “Hello, how are you?” When anyone responds with “Good, how are you?” he always responds with “Blessed. Thank you!” During the holidays, Jamal even decorates a tree in the day program for all of us. It is one of his favorite projects throughout the year, and staff and other people we support always look forward to seeing the final results. This is not a requirement of the job at all, it’s just something he likes to do for us. Jamal always has a pep in his step and brings smiles to everyone’s day. He is thorough, polite, and does an outstanding job. We are a better organization with Jamal on our team. He works tirelessly, is always happy to help, and goes above and beyond to bring happiness to our workplace.

Congratulations, Jamal, we are so proud of you!

March is Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month, and Progress recognized the month with a "See Me for Me" campaign. We asked people we support to describe themselves in one word. See the results below!

​Progress was one of two agencies in Tennessee to receive funding from Sprouts Farmer’s Market Neighborhood Grants. The grants are funded through Sprouts’ “Round Up for Our Community” program, which takes place annually in stores across the United States. The Neighborhood Grants Program encompasses three focus areas: Health Nutrition and Education, Food Security and Hunger Relief, and Disabilities and Health Concerns. This funding will support Day and Employment Programs at Progress. This includes Project Search, Ticket to Work and Community Based Day programs. Progress is extremely grateful for this funding and looks forward to partnering with Sprouts Farmer's Market. More information about Sprouts Farmer’s Market and grant recipients can be found at www.Sprouts.com. Sprouts locations in Middle Tennessee include Franklin and Murfreesboro.

NASHVILLE, TN – August, 16 2016 – Progress received a $30,000 grant from the Walmart Foundation’s State Giving Program to assist with employment support for people with disabilities.   Specifically, this grant will positively impact the local community by providing a variety of services including internships and placements for people with disabilities, helping them to successfully acquire and retain employment. Through the Employment Services Program, Progress uses a multi-pronged approach. The Employment Services Program is comprised of several categories - Project SEARCH, Ticket to Work and Job Training/Placement.
 
“The Walmart Foundation has demonstrated that they have dedicated themselves to bettering our community, in this case specifically supporting people with intellectual disabilities and employment skill building.” said Progress Executive Director Donna Goodaker. “We are extremely grateful for this gift; the foundation understands the magnitude of the disparity in employment for people with disabilities versus the rest of the population. The people we serve want to work, they just need the supports behind them to excel, and the Walmart Foundation understands the need as much as we do. ”
 
The Walmart Foundation’s State Giving Program supports organizations that create opportunities so people can live better, awarding grants that have a long-lasting, positive impact on communities across the U.S. 

Two graduation ceremonies were held for Project SEARCH graduates of the 2016 graduating classes of both Embassy Suites and the Monroe Carrell Jr. Children’s Hospital. Graduates spent the past year gaining valuable employment training and real life experiences to help them work independently and be self-sufficient in their future employment goals. At each of the ceremonies, graduates gave speeches about their experiences and thanked their families, program staff and donors for their support throughout the program.

Project SEARCH provides individuals with disabilities tuition-free job training and educational, developmental, and employment opportunities. Project SEARCH is a nine month unpaid internship, and at the completion of the program graduates are employment ready. Of the most current graduating class, 92% achieved employment at graduation time. The goal of Project SEARCH is to fill a business need with qualified individuals with developmental or intellectual disabilities.

One graduate explained, “Project Search was great because we got to train on different job sites before we applied for the positions. Also, the job coaches were wonderful. I also liked that we learned about things such as Credo, safety in the workplace, and good ways to spend money. I want to thank everyone at Project Search.”

Project SEARCH is a national program with various sites managed by non-profit organizations around the country. Progress operates the two Project SEARCH sites in Nashville, which are located at Embassy Suites and the Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital. More information about the national program can be found at http://www.projectsearch.us/

​For information about Project SEARCH in Nashville please contact Pam Hollingsworth at 615-399-3000 or via email or visit the Progress Project SEARCH webpage.

ECF Choices is a new program for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities that will be introduced in the State of Tennessee on July 1st, 2016. A few points outlining these new waiver services is below. Please contact us should you have any questions about the new ECF Choices program, or any other programs of Progress at 615-399-3000.

• The name of the new Medicaid Waiver programs is ECF Choices.  ECF stands for Employment and Community First.  These Waiver programs are for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities who currently do not receive services.
• These programs will not affect anyone who is already getting services, or their staff, but there will be changes in how we deliver new services.  For example, we don’t currently provide personal assistance, but this will be a more needed service in the new programs and will be more adequately reimbursed so we can afford to provide it.
• ECF Choices will be managed by Managed Care Organizations (MCOs), starting with Amerigroup and Blue Care.
• ECF Choices will be the only programs offered after July 1, unless for some reason the start date gets delayed.  The Waiver programs that we know now will be closed to new participants.
• ECF Choices will have three different programs: one for people who live at home and need fewer services (low cost), one for people who need primarily employment and other non 24 hr. services (mid range cost and the program that will be most emphasized), and one for people who have more complex needs and may need 24 hour services (highest cost).
• The system as a whole will provide far fewer 24 hr. services.  This is a national trend.
• The system as a whole will emphasize employment, employment, employment!
• DIDD will have a diminished role in the new programs; they will continue to provide licensure functions, quality assurance, protection from harm, and some intake.

 
More to come; stay tuned!

Donna Goodaker
Executive Director