"Come grow with us" summarizes the goal at Project Learning.

Project Learning was started in 1974 by Iowa Lakes Community College in Emmetsburg, Iowa. In 1982, Horizons Unlimited almost doubled in size when it joined forces with the college to provide the Project Learning program. Through Project Learning, more than 60 individuals annually receive training on the college grounds once or twice per week. The main goal for Horizons' residential program and Project Learning is to teach our individuals to become more self-sufficient and more independent. This is what our individuals want also. Horizons Unlimited completes an annual survey and the majority of our individuals strive to live alone or in a less restrictive environment.

Through Project Learning, individuals receive hands-on training in daily living, pre-vocational, computer and social skills. For example, kitchen skills are one specific area the program teaches. They learn how to plan menus, grocery shop, prepare meals, set tables and clean up. These are skills each individual can take back with them to their residence, whether they live in a Horizons' group home where supervision is 24 hours per day/seven days a week, or whether they live in Horizons' Independent Community Housing, where supervision ranges from one hour per day to as little as once per week. Without kitchen skills, some individuals might eat a lot of junk food or a less nutritious meal. Plus, it's necessary for our individuals to learn how to clean up after eating a meal.

Project Learning is conducted on the campus of Iowa Lakes Community College. The program runs Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. The days are broken into four class periods with breaks and lunch in-between. Some specific subjects/skills taught so far in 2006 include: healthy lifestyle skills, winter hazards, listening, following verbal instructions, good nutrition habits, spring cleaning, consumer economics, setting goals and making changes, touching (proper and improper) and money skills (including checkbook balancing and using coupons for grocery shopping).

There is no other program like Project Learning in the State of Iowa. It is the only program where a community college joins forces with a sheltered workshop facility to enrich the lives of people with disabilities. Going to the college is an integral part of Project Learning because individuals can focus on the training being provided, rather than trying to learn it at their residential home. Horizons' individuals also gain a lot of self-esteem from attending Project Learning because they tell their friends and family that they are taking classes at the college, which they are.

When a new individual enters the program, the staff reads the case histories and a test helps identify the specific needs of each individual. Training then focuses on individualized opportunities that are specifically suited to a participant's needs. Therefore, each individual who attends Project Learning has his or her own specific goals and objectives that he or she works on. Project Learning Coordinator Lisa Mart gave several examples of the tremendous growth individuals have achieved through this program.

"The program is working very well," said Mart. She explained that one individual has been working on how to write out his or her own checks. The client has been working on the goal for almost one year and prior to this the client didn't have any idea where to start. "As of today, the client can fill out the pay to the order of, write out the dollar amount, date and sign checks more than 90 percent of the time. This is a person you might have thought would have difficulty writing their own name," said Mart.

Another success story involves cooking. The client has been in the program for many years and has been working on a goal of cooking and making a dish, such as a casserole. "The client has to identify the ingredients, find cooking utensils and use correct measurements. The client can do this almost 80 percent of the time with less than two prompts. The client used to stand there a lot, but now takes initiative and gets right to work." said Mart.

"We feel very fortunate to have a program like Project Learning to offer our individuals. It is a one-of-a-kind program and it truly embodies everything Horizons tries to accomplish. We believe that every individual should be encouraged to reach their fullest potential and this is what Project Learning is all about. It's about reaching the untapped possibilities within us all," said Horizons Unlimited C.E.O. Ron Ludwig.

For more information about Project Learning, contact Horizons Unlimited at 712-852-2211 or call Project Learning Coordinator Lisa Mart at 712-852-5204. If you would like to make a donation for Project Learning, please send your donation to Horizons Unlimited, c/o Project Learning, P.O. Box 567, Emmetsburg, IA 50536.