By Kim Hilsenbeck

Dianna LaFrance used to stay awake nights, worrying about her son Elijah’s future. He was in the special education program at Hays High School and graduated with his class in 2013.

But LaFrance wasn’t sure what was next.

“I didn’t know what his future would be because I just didn’t… you know, there’s just not a lot of job opportunities here in this area,” she said.

Last week, Elijah Peyton, 20, was one of eight Hays CISD students who graduated from Project SEARCH, a high school transition program that takes participants from school to the workplace using a seamless combination of classroom instruction, career exploration, and hands-on training through work site rotations. The year-long workplace immersion concept provides critical job skill training to prepare its graduates for careers.

They worked at Seton Medical Center Hays (Seton Hays) in departments such as pharmacy, surgical, materials management, sterilization, environmental services, ICU, dietary services and post-anesthesia care.

LaFrance believes Project SEARCH changed her son’s life — and hers.

“When Project SEARCH came along, it was just a door of hope and opportunity that opened up,” she said. “This is such a valuable program for our kids in this area.”

LaFrance and her husband, Thomas, adopted Elijah when he was three months old.

“Elijah came to us as a foster child. The doctors felt he probably wouldn’t live a year because he was born with a serious, life-threatening illness,” she said. “We prayed about it as a family and we made a life-long, life-changing commitment to adopt him.”

She has two older sons whom she says readily accepted their little brother into the family.

“We felt he was placed with us for a reason,” LaFrance said.

“I wouldn’t want another family,” Elijah said as he hugged his mom.

But that commitment made by the LaFrance family wasn’t without its own set of challenges.

As the mom of a special needs student at Hays High School, LaFrance said, “We had our bumpy way. I wanted what I wanted for him.”

LaFrance said she and the teachers came to an understanding that, “We’re all in this together and we’re all going to row in the same direction.”

Elijah is almost ready to fly the nest. LaFrance said developmentally, he’s 5-6 years behind. But he could be ready to live on his own — with community support — in just a few years.

Earlier this year, Seton Hays hired Elijah on a more permanent basis.

Seton Hays is the first employer in Hays County to offer the program in conjunction with Hays CISD. The Seton Healthcare Family was the first employer in Texas to take part in Project SEARCH.

The eight graduates of the Project SEARCH program at Seton Hays collectively worked more than 3,500 hours over the last 12 months. At last week’s graduation ceremony at the hospital, speakers from Seton and Hays CISD presented the program participants with their certificates of completion. Elijah served as the guest speaker.

His introduction came from Geronimo Rodriguez, vice president of diversity and community outreach at Seton.

“Elijah interned in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU),” he said. “The staff immediately realized he possessed talent and skill they could not allow to pass them up. He supports patients, clinicians and staff in the ICU. In March, he transitioned into a job with Seton Hays. Now I’m proud to introduce someone I can now call a colleague.”

Elijah, sporting gray pants, a purple dress shirt and a tie, took the podium.

“Good morning — this is for all my Project SEARCH graduates,” Elijah said. “At Project SEARCH I learned many things such as the names of medical supplies I stocked and how they are used. In my success in getting this job, I’ve given 120 percent. I thought I would never be so lucky in getting a job in ICU. This opportunity I am very blessed to have. There were many challenges I had to overcome. It took me over a month to learn all the medical supply names and where they were located. And I had to adapt to back orders.”

This drew a chuckle from many in the audience, which perhaps was an inside joke for Seton Hays staff.

“And I also have learned to be flexible when things come up,” he said.

He added, “Often when I enter a room, patients ask, ‘Are you stocking ice cream?’ I say, ‘No, things that make you better.’”

Another ripple of laughter erupted from the audience.

“Now I get paid for a job I love doing,” he said. “A job I would give an arm and a leg for.”

The audience gave him a hardy round of applause.

His manager, ICU nurse Francesca Damiano Hammond, described Elijah as, “extremely professional, dedicated, conscientious. Patients love him. He brightens up a lot of people’s days. I couldn’t ask for a better person to do what he does.”

Elijah’s job includes inventory work. 

“I stock blanket warmers, I check supplies. I run and get blood for nurses sometimes,” he said.

LaFrance said she is so happy Elijah was in the program and with the ICU staff.

“It was important for him to be with the right people who would appreciate what he had to offer. The ICU staff … made him feel part of the team, made him feel valued. He has a sense of purpose in life. He’s really come a long way.”

So has LaFrance, who said she no longer stays up crying at night, worrying about Elijah’s future.