Ohio Valley Goodwill Industries
Serving Greater Cincinnati

Goodwill Pleased to Celebrate Success of 2018 Transition Boot Camp!

The 2018 Transition Boot Camp held on  Thursday, November 1st  at the Sharonville Convention Center was a major success with more than 500 participants attending this year’s event. Ohio Valley Goodwill was proud to be a Gold Sponsor for the 9th annual event which is designed to provide parents and caregivers, educators and other professionals working with youth and young adults with important information about planning for transition from school to adult life.

Sharon Hannon, Marketing Director and Committee Member

Transition Boot Camp Attendees

The 2018 conference featured more than 20 training sessions covering such topics as Pre-Employment Skills; Educational, Training and Vocational Options; as well as Pathways to Employment. In addition, a Vendor Fair with more than 50 exhibitors was a highlight of this year’s Transition Boot Camp where parents and professionals had the opportunity to find out more about the community resources available. For the first time ever, Ohio Valley Goodwill hosted its weekly Facebook Live program from the 2018 Vendor Fair with co-host Alisha Tyler and Marketing Director, Sharon Hannon. Check out the video at http://www.facebook.com/cincigoodwill

Ohio Valley Goodwill was pleased not only to be a Gold Sponsor but also, a co-presenter of the session, ” Pathways to Community Employment and Community-Based Alternatives.” Goodwill Employment Services Manager, Matt Burnheimer,   joined with co-presenters Jennifer Bonenfant, Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities, Chrissy Perkins, Easter Seals Tri-State, and Mary Bengel, Stepping Stones to share information about the many opportunities available for individuals in the Greater Cincinnati community. The well-attended session was made particularly interesting through  the  sharing of information related to aspects of employment success including  a focus on soft skills and  work exploration as  well as alternative community  options  based on individual choice.

L to R: Mary Bengal, Matt Burnheimer, Jennifer Bonifant and Chrissy Perkins

The annual Boot Camp Conference is followed by monthly booster sessions which provide a more detailed overview of topics of interest for participants. The 2018 booster sessions will begin in March. Ohio Valley Goodwill is a member of the planning committee for the Transition Boot Camp event and is pleased to work collaboratively with four County Boards of Developmental Disabilities as well as Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities and a host of service provider agencies on the annual conference event. The planning committee is led by University of Cincinnati Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities in partnership with more than 20 community agencies.

To find out more about Goodwill’s employment and training services, visit www.cincinnatigoodwill.org/services.