The Hebrew Home at Riverdale has received an award for a program hosted on its grounds that gives high schoolers the opportunity to learn about careers in health care work.

Called Project H.O.P.E. (Healthcare Offers Permanent Employment), the program offers 55 at-risk minority students the chance to receive job training skills while taking classes at a school created in coordination with the city’s Department of Education. Part of their day is spent volunteering at the Home, working areas including food services, nursing and more.

The recognition comes in the form of the 2009 Hobart Jackson Cultural Diversity Award from the American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging (AAHSA).