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State Business Council Chief Applauds Hiring People with Disabilities
Employer Breakfast Attracts Community Leaders
(From left) Ric Swierat, Westchester Arc executive director; Anne Majsak, Westchester Arc president; Marsha Gordon, president and CEO of the Business Council of Westchester, and keynote speaker Kenneth Adams, president and CEO of the Business Council of New York State.
Westchester Arc career planners Maxine Greene and Stephen DeMarco present District Attorney Janet DiFiore and First Deputy District Attorney John George (center) with the Civic Partnership Award.
Speaking at Westchester Arc’s April 26 Employer Recognition Breakfast, Kenneth Adams, head of New York’s largest business advocacy group, vowed to increase statewide awareness of the advantages of hiring people with developmental disabilities. As president and CEO of The Business Council of New York State, he represents thousands of firms and hundreds of chambers of commerce.
“The enlightened employers in this room and those you partner with around the county are critical to the independence of people with developmental disabilities,” he told over 200 business and civic leaders gathered at the Westchester Marriott in Tarrytown. “This is a tradition that should be a model to business owners across the state.”
Kenneth Adams was keynote speaker at the annual event, which honors organizations that have helped individuals with developmental disabilities build careers within the greater community. The City of Yonkers issued a proclamation recognizing the more than 30 organizations (click here for list) being honored for combining good citizenship with business acumen. “The competitive advantage of hiring people with developmental disabilities needs to be promoted,” he continued. “The businesses in this room are doing the right thing and others should feel compelled to follow their example in order to remain competitive.”
Stop & Shop was named Corporate Business Employer of the Year. Pictured (from left) are Stephen DeMarco, career planner; Pat Dowse, vice president of the New York State Rehabilitation Association (NYSRA); Jessica Jarir, Stop & Shop customer service manager, and Renee Darby, career planner.
This was the 14th annual breakfast and attracted one of the largest crowds ever, including a number of political leaders. New York State Assembly Representative Adam Bradley (89th District); Westchester County Board Legislator Lois Bronz (District 8); Westchester County District Attorney Janet DiFiore, and Yonkers Council President Chuck Lesnick were all in attendance.
Former State Senator Nick Spano, who could not attend, was honored for his longtime advocacy of the civil rights of people with disabilities, for championing their employment and fighting for accessible public facilities. His repeated endorsement of financial support for Westchester Arc’s activities has helped thousands of families throughout Westchester.
Claire S. (left), an intern at Yorktown Town Hall, stands with co-worker Alice Roker and Rochelle Saks, director of Westchester Arc’s S.T.A.R.(Students in Transition Accessing Resources) program.
Westchester County Legislator Lois Bronz and Ric Swierat, Westchester Arc executive director, praise Carolyn Holodak and Keith Caminiti (center) for their hard work and dedication.
Keith Caminiti and Carolyn Holodak, two individuals with disabilities who have long worked within the community, received the Anthony Cannata Memorial Employee Award for inspiring others.
Keith, who has been affiliated with Westchester Arc since 1976, has worked for Lexington Square Café, Mt. Kisco, for 13 years. He is proud of his near-perfect attendance record and often walks a mile to work due to the sporadic schedules of public transportation. He helps maintain the restaurant’s dining room, parking lot and lawn.
Carolyn, who has been on the Westchester Arc board of birectors since 1999, has worked at Yonkers City Hall for the past seven years. She was a Republican district leader in Yonkers for three and a half years and received the 2002 Herbert Katzenberg Volunteer Award.
Westchester Arc also described a new initiative, eDocNY, which takes an innovative approach to employing people with disabilities. Providing outsourced document management—microfilming, scanning, digitizing, box storage and shredding—the business is intended to eventually become a standalone, profit-making entity. Proceeds will contribute to programs that are not funded by the government. eDocNY employs individuals with and without disabilities and recently celebrated its first anniversary. During the first quarter of 2007, revenues grew more than 40 percent from the previous quarter.
Other honorees ranged from accounting firms to grocery chains to schools and public officials. District Attorney Janet DiFiore accepted an award for hiring a person with disabilities to work in the Yonkers Courthouse.
Tuckahoe School District and White Plains High School were recognized by NYSRA (New York State Rehabilitation Association) with a Transitional Quality Practices Award.
Kim Spahn, Westchester Arc assistant executive director, and Jim O’Toole, event committee member, discuss ways to establish more business partnerships.
Four Stop & Shop locations—Eastchester, New Rochelle, White Plains and Yonkers—received the Continuing Partnership Award for their consistent record of hiring people with disabilities. At present, they employ 14 such individuals. In addition, Pat Dowse, vice president of the New York State Rehabilitation Association (NYSRA) presented Stop & Shop with the 2006 Corporate Business Employer of the Year Award.
Pat Dowse also honored White Plains High School and The Tuckahoe Union Free School District for collaborating with Westchester Arc to prepare students for the work world.
Lexington Square Café, Mt. Kisco, received the Longstanding Employer Award for employing a person with disabilities for the past 13 years. In 2005, the restaurant supported employee Keith Caminiti’s athletic aspirations by giving him extended time off to participate in the Japan games of Special Olympics.
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Keynote speaker Kenneth Adams, president and CEO of the Business Council of New York State, notes that employing people with developmental disabilities is good business. |
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Maria Lagman, career supports coordinator, presents Lou Kirvin, III, commissioner of planning and development for the City of Yonkers, with the Civic Partnership Award. |
Linda Warner, director of career and business opportunities, presents the New Business Partnership Award to Andy Grosso, representing New York State Industries for the Disabled. |
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Bernard A. Krooks, Esq., accepts the Employment Development Award on behalf of law firm Littman Krooks, LLP. |
