CAREERS Comedy Show Is Our New Annual Fundraiser!
The comedian lineup includes Dimitri Giatrakis, Vicki Sanches, Dr. Blain Langberg, Anthony Sanches, Susan Schatzie, Matt Orefice, Lou Ann Daprato, Bill Greene and Barbara Miller. Tina Cornish-Lauria, Executive Director of CAREERS, is delighted to offer this new fundraising event. “Tickets are only $75, which is very reasonable for a comedy show, dinner and an open wine/beer bar,” she said. “And the best part is that proceeds will help fund our innovative programs to help people with disabilities get, and keep, jobs they can succeed in.”
Purchase tickets to CAREERS Comedy Show 2024:
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CAREERS Support Solutions is a not-for-profit organization that provides support services to hundreds of individuals annually throughout Westchester, Putnam and lower Dutchess Counties. CAREERS mission is to empower people with disabilities by teaching workforce readiness skills and providing job placement, on-the-job training, and ongoing support – at no cost to the individual or employer.
CAREERS Celebrates 36 Years of Providing Services!
Ahmed Gonzalez (pictured below with his Employment Specialist Marielena Behnken) was named Employee of the Year at CAREERS 36th Anniversary Celebration. We were delighted to honor more than 100 clients for their hard work and recognize employers, sponsors and donors for their loyal support.
“We are so proud to celebrate 36 years of changing the lives of individuals with disabilities,” CAREERS Executive Director Tina Cornish-Lauria said. “Our personalized programs offer a unique combination of training and support that is effective in helping our clients remain successfully employed,” she added.
PepsiCo EnAble was the Premier Sponsor of the event for the 19th consecutive year and KTS Pooled Trust returned as Supreme Sponsor. Enea, Scanlan & Sirignano were back as a Major Sponsor and Curry Automotive returned as a Supporting Sponsor. Contributing Sponsors include: Amler Associates, Croonquist Group, Cuddy Law Firm, Hart Vida & Partners, James Quinn Painting, Karen Brown, Kitson Law Firm, LEXCO Wealth Management, New York-Presbyterian Hudson Valley Hospital, ShopRite Supermarkets, Unitex Textile Rental Services and ZenBusiness.
New York State Senator Pete Harckham received an Award of Appreciation for his advocacy and support of programs for people with disabilities. He is well-known for his efforts to ensure inclusivity in the workplace, in schools, and elsewhere.
Ahmed Gonzalez, who works at Tops Friendly Market in Carmel, was named Employee of the Year for his perseverance and amazing work ethic and Tops was also named Employer of the Year for its commitment to including people with disabilities in its workforce. CJ Wichtendahl, store manager of CVS in Carmel, was named Supervisor of the Year for inspiring our interns and staff with his patience and kindness.
CAREER client honorees include Liam Tannian, Shining Star Award; William Paget, Rock Star Award; Michael Moreira, Service With a Smile Award; Scott Meyerson, Retirement Honoree; and Alex D’Agnese, Ina Fay, Kelly Galvin and Sho Tanaka all received Personal Achievement Awards.
The Greenburgh Nature Center received the Outstanding Intern Support Award for their inclusive programs and Outstanding Program Support Awards went to Five Below in Mohegan Lake and Spectrum Designs in Pleasantville.
Outstanding Volunteer Awards were given to Alex McManus and Toni Von Elm in recognition of their hard work at the CAREERS Thrift Shop located in Carmel.
View Award Winners Slide Show: (hover over image to read caption)
Nary LoPuzzo Wins Longevity Award from Westchester NDEAM
Nary LoPuzzo Longevity Award Winner
Congratulations to Nary LoPuzzo, who received the Longevity Award at the Westchester County National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM) ceremony. Nary has been a valued ShopRite employee for 21 years. CAREERS’ unique mix of workforce skills training and job coaching has enabled Nary, and hundreds of others like her, to become successfully employed and truly be part of their communities.
Tina Cornish-Lauria, Executive Director of CAREERS, said that “the NDEAM Awards are a significant way to focus attention on the accomplishments of people with disabilities and the employers who provide a diverse workplace. People with disabilities are the nation’s largest minority group. We are so proud of Nary and our other clients who bring their best to work every day and demonstrate what people with disabilities can accomplish.”
Nary is a reliable, dedicated worker. She was working at the Peekskill ShopRite when she came to CAREERS in 2004 for help in improving her skills and finding a better job. After Nary completed CAREERS’ workforce skills training program, her Employment Specialist helped her obtain a transfer to the Croton ShopRite in 2011. Her cheerful smile and positive attitude make her a favorite with ShopRite customers, coworkers and managers. “We are so proud of Nary’s accomplishments. She worked hard to develop her customer service skills and advocate for herself to get the position she wanted,” said Rebecca Appleyard, CAREERS Carmel Program Coordinator. “We are also grateful to ShopRite and other employers who see the value of hiring people with disabilities.”
Also honored today were nine other CAREERS clients: Eileen Morra, a fitting room attendant at T.J. Maxx; Jack Silverstein, a maintenance associate at Costco; Legend Greene, a data analyst at Market Cast; Marcey Pietarinen, an associate at Forever 21 and Stop & Shop; Matthew Diaz, a cart retriever at ShopRite; Michael George, a store merchandiser at Stop & Shop; Ronny Ortega, a maintenance worker at ShopRite; Roxanne Williams, a receptionist at the New York State Office of Professional Discipline; and Stephen Barker, a stock associate at BJ’s.
Also honored were CAREERS employers Market Cast, Forever 21 in White Plains; the New York State Office of Professional Discipline in Port Chester; ShopRite in Croton and Thornwood; and Stop & Shop in Eastchester.
You can see the virtual NDEAM ceremony at: http://westchesteremploymentnetwork.us/
Archives:
CAREERS Celebrates 35th Anniversary!
Allegra Palevich presents Employee of the Year Award to Noah Feld
Noah Feld (pictured with Employment Specialist Allegra Palevich) was named Employee of the Year at CAREERS 35th Anniversary Celebration. More than 100 clients were honored for their hard work and employers, sponsors and donors were also recognized.
“It is so gratifying to celebrate 35 years of serving individuals with disabilities,” CAREERS Executive Director Tina Cornish-Lauria said. “CAREERS successfully weathered the pandemic and I am pleased to report that job placements are up 104% over 2020 and 40% over last year,” she added.
PepsiCo EnAble was the Premier Sponsor of the event for the 18th consecutive year and KTS Pooled Trust returned as Supreme Sponsor. Curry Automotive and Enea, Scanlan & Sirignano returned as Supporting Sponsors.
Contributing Sponsors include: Cuddy Law Firm, LEXCO Wealth Management, Croonquist Group, Hart Vida & Partners, James Quinn Painting, Karen Brown, Kitson Law Firm, New York-Presbyterian Hudson Valley Hospital, ShopRite Supermarkets, and Unitex Textile Rental Services. Besides Noah Feld, who was named Employee of the Year for his dedication and creativity in the bakery department at ShopRite in New Rochelle, several awards were given to supporters and clients. Uncle Giuseppe’s Marketplace in Yorktown Heights received the Employer of the Year award for creating a welcoming workplace for people with disabilities. Named Supervisor of the Year was Claudia Pavone, manager of ShopRite in Bedford, who treats individuals with disabilities with compassion, empathy and patience.
New York State Senator Pete Harckham received an Award of Appreciation for his work on behalf of people with disabilities. Senator Harckham advocates for people with disabilities and works to ensure inclusivity in the workplace, in schools, and elsewhere. The Afya Foundation, a not-for-profit that repurposes medical supplies for those in need, received the Outstanding Program Support Award for its internship program that teaches vocational skills. The Outstanding Community Support Award went to the not-for-profit Second Chance Foods which provides nourishing food to those in need in Putnam County.
Adrienne Forbes, widow of Board Member Howard Forbes, and their son Warren accepted the Forever In Our Hearts Award in Howard’s memory. Jane Dwyer, head volunteer at the new CAREERS Thrift Shop, accepted the Outstanding Volunteer Award on behalf of the 14-member group of volunteers. Other honorees include Angela Sforza, Shining Star Award; Harpal Arora, Rock Star Award; Lyle Davidson, Retirement Honoree; Stephen Barker, Ben Rodell and Debra Ann Schnepf, Personal Achievement Awards.
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View Award Winners Slide Show: (hover over image to read caption)
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Westchester County’s National Disability Employment Awareness Month Awards
We are so proud of longtime client Cindi Palermo, who received the Longevity Award to mark Westchester County’s National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM). Thanks to CAREERS unique program of skills training and on-the-job support, Cindi has been successfully employed at Target in White Plains for the past 19 years.
Tina Cornish-Lauria, Executive Director of CAREERS, said that the awards are a great way to showcase our hard-working clients and recognize employers who hire people with disabilities. “The NDEAM Awards Ceremony is a meaningful way to honor people who bring their best to work every day,” she said. “We are so proud of Cindi and our other CAREERS clients who are a shining example of what individuals with disabilities can accomplish.”
Local businesses honored included the following CAREERS employers: The Afya Foundation in Yonkers, CVS in Scarsdale, Marshalls in Mohegan Lake, ShopRite in Bedford Hills and Thornwood, Stop & Shop in New Rochelle and Target in White Plains.
See the virtual NDEAM ceremony video
CAREERS Support Solutions Opens Trift Shop
CAREERS Support Solutions opened a Thrift Shop at 208 Route 52 in Carmel, which is open from 12 noon to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. The shop is run by volunteers and helps our clients, like the guys from our Ambition In Motion (AIM) program pictured, get some hands-on jobs skills training. The shop will eventually provide paid internships to CAREERS clients and proceeds will help fund CAREERS programs of job training and placement for individuals with learning, intellectual, developmental, psychiatric and/or physical disabilities.
Careers 34th Anniversary Celebration, 2021
Andrea Lenski (pictured left), was named 2021 CAREERS Employee of the Year at our virtual Anniversary event on November 17th for consistently demonstrating excellence in the workplace. She was one of 173 clients highlighted for their efforts on the job at our annual event,
This year’s Annual Anniversary Celebration was once again held virtually to keep our clients and supporters safe. With an on-line program full of warm acceptances, inspiring videos, live chat and fun slide show, our program participants, their families and employers, as well as our supporters and staff, cheered each other’s success.
Lyle Davidson Earns Westchester NDEAM Longevity Award “America’s Recovery is Powered by Inclusion,” was the theme for this year’s event, which annually highlights the contributions people with disabilities bring to the workplace. Lyle Davidson has been a CAREERS client for 26 years, with the past 17 as a valued employee of S & H Uniforms in White Plains. Maintenance, warehousing, picking orders and stocking are a few of his many responsibilities. His incredible memory helps him locate items quickly and keep the warehouse running efficiently. “Lyle’s constantly reminding me about things we need to order for the warehouse to keep everything running smoothly” said S & H owner and CEO Kevin Ross.
CAREERS Receives NYS Empire AwardTina Cornish-Lauria, Executive Director of CAREERS, accepted the New York State Empire Award, for organizations who have made a significant contribution for the betterment of their community. State Senator Pete Harckham honored CAREERS because “their programs meet an individual’s unique needs and places them in jobs based on their abilities and interests. They provide on-the-job training and long-term support for as long as each individual requires.”
Help in Getting and Keeping a Job If you or someone you know has a documented disability (intellectual, developmental, psychiatric and/or physical) and want to find a job, CAREERS can Help!
CAREERS Support Solutions: New Name, Same Vital Mission The new name emphasizes the the support and assistance we provide to our clients as well as the unique solutions we create for employers.
A record breaking crowd celebrated our hardworking clients at our 29th Anniversary Celebration on October 20th at the Crowne Plaza in White Plains. The event congratulated and honored over 200 of our clients celebrating work anniversaries from 1 to 35 years, including our 2016 Employee of the Year Sheree Ferguson.
New Agency Staff Page Want to put a face with the voice you hear on the phone when you call CAREERS? Check out our new Agency Staff page under the “Contact Us” tab to see the entire CAREERS team.
Our clients love what they do…and it shows. We asked them to tell you why your support of CAREERS is so important to them! Watch the video here.
CAREERS Teams up with United Way of Westchester and Putnam and PepsiCo to Find Jobs for Women.
Getting Ready for Disability Mentoring Day, October 21, 2015
Ambition In Motion Program Arrives at Iona College
Expect. Empower. Employ. Disability Mentoring Day 2014 in Westchester and Putnam
CAREERS’ Ambition In Motion – AIM program grows to meet the needs of the community.
CAREERS Expands Ambition in Motion – AIM Program
CAREERS Finds Jobs for New Rochelle Students
CAREERS Client Vinny M. Welcomes Ann Tucker to Advisory Board
CAREERS Collaboraton with Carmel High School Results in Award
