COEUR d'ALENE — Liam Coffey learned how to work as part of a team and work hard during his internships over the last year. 

As he presented his experiences to a crowded room Thursday at the Health Resource Center at Kootenai Health, his mother, Joann Coffey, couldn’t help but wipe away happy tears. 

“It just hit me as I sat down,” Joann said.   

During his time with Project SEARCH, Liam kept his mentors and colleagues on their toes by asking lots of questions, something Project SEARCH Instructor Theresa Moran took great pride in. 

Liam went on to secure a job at Chartwells as a dishwasher.  

His motto throughout the program was “Be happy, happy, happy.”  

As a high school transition program, Project SEARCH forges connections and mentorships to give young adults with disabilities the skills they need to confidently join the workforce. 

More than 130 interns have graduated from Project SEARCH over the last 16 years and the program is a partnership between Kootenai Health and the Coeur d'Alene School District.   

The Class of 2026 also marked the first all-male class. Each intern underwent about 640 hours during the internship in order to build up their work experience, starting at 7:30 a.m. 

Liam’s father, Travis Coffey, said he was excited to see Liam take charge as the internship wore on and learn how to be more consistent.   

“It’s fantastic what he learns and keeping him dialed in on jobs,” Travis said.  

Moran said the outgoing personality Matthew Thayer brought to the program made him ready to take his next step forward into employment. 

“I’ve been hired at Fairchild Air Force Base by Tessera as a cashier in the Warrior Hall,” Thayer announced to the room.    

During his internships, he worked with the bus drivers in the transportation department, 3 East and worked as a bagger at Pilgrim’s Market.   

“Sometimes when the customers would want to bag their own bag, I would allow them to do that,” Thayer said, earning a laugh from the audience.    

He worked to build up his time management skills over the course of the internship and Moran said it made him successful in connecting with his coworkers and managers. 

“Friendliness has been your superpower,” Moran told him.    

This year, the wound care department and the hospitality center at Kootenai Health participated in Project SEARCH for the first time.  

At wound care, interns stocked supplies and linens as well as infection prevention, cleaning all high-touch surfaces, waiting rooms and the break room. 

Their work at the hospitality center involved working on room turnover, cleaning the community kitchens, restocking linens and helping with in-house laundry. 

AJ Navales is still working on lining up a job now that the internship is over, but after his time with IT and Shabby Fabrics, he’s excited to share his sunny personality and new skills with a local employer.  

“Project Search has taught me to be neat and organized, helping people working with people, job skills and speaking up for myself,” Navales said. 

Although he’s still working on interviews and closing the job, he has one main stipulation for whatever his future career holds: service.  

“I would really like to work somewhere I can be helpful,” Navales said. 

This year's Project SEARCH interns included Peyton Anderson, Tony Best, Liam Coffey, Joshua Hughes, AJ Navales, Nico Pohlman, Matthew Thayer and Nate Wright.

    Instructor Theresa Moran, Nico Pohlman, Tony Best and Nate Wright stand side by side after the end of the Project SEARCH internship through Kootenai Health and the Coeur d'Alene School District.

    Tony Best stood out as a natural leader during the Project Search internship with the Coeur d'Alene School District and Kootenai Health.

    Peyton Anderson speaks about his work experience through Project SEARCH at the Health Resource Center at Kootenai Health.