Students in the Transition to Independence, Employment and Success (TIES) program hosted the annual Community Partner Appreciation Event on Wednesday to thank individuals, businesses, agencies and parents. Monroe County Schools, Naval Air Station Key West and Florida Keys Community College created the program in 2005 to address the needs of young adults with intellectual challenges.

During a student-led luncheon at the Sigsbee Base Community Center, former NAS Key West Commander Jim Scholl, former MCSD Transition Specialist Marty Jacquette, NAS Key West Public Works Engineer Stephen Murphy, Executive Director Ron Demes, and Morale, Welfare and Recreation Director Tim Campbell received special recognition as the program’s founding partners.

The TIES program provides a teacher, job coach and facilities for students, ages 18-22, to learn, practice and network within real life settings to achieve their goals of independence. Through Project ACCESS (Accessing Community College Educational experiences, Social experiences and Skills for careers), current and former TIES students attend FKCC classes for credit toward a certificate or degree.

Students honored FKCC, Key West High School and Monroe County Schools including Exceptional Student Educational Development as academic partners. Supporting partners were the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, NAS Key West Command Office, Special Olympics Florida-Monroe County, the FKCC pool and ceramics department, the Agency for Persons with Disabilities, Monroe County Transit and Career Source.

The students, in their own words, expressed sincere appreciation for training sites, employers and supportive organizations including the FKCC library, bookstore, facilities department and marine science lab along with the Monroe Association for ReMARCable Citizens, Vocational Rehabilitation, St. Mary’s Star of the Sea, the Keys Collections Hotel Group, Destination Catering, Best Western Key Ambassador, the Key West Citizen, Key West Sunrise Rotary and the Navy Exchange, commissary, lodge, auto hobby shop and MWR.

The event concluded with recognition of unsung heroes who advocated for the program and promoted full inclusion for the students within their organizations: Tracey Waddell, MARC trainer for the Rainbow Café, Marylin Kemp, Project ACCESS volunteer, and Irene Brown and Eugene Edwards, Navy Exchange office manager and janitor respectively.

For more information, contact Ruth Holland at [email protected] or 305-923-0288.