Babylon Township Residents Honored at ACLD 31st Annual Employment Recognition Breakfast

WEST BABYLON, NY / DEER PARK,NY; DECEMBER 1, 2016 – Babylon Township residents Michael Lalicata and Sharon Rainey were honored by Adults and Children with Learning and Developmental Disabilities (ACLD) at its 31st Annual Employment Recognition Breakfast held at Carlyle on the Green in Farmingdale. Lalicata, a resident of West Babylon and a Lot Attendant at The Home Depot in Deer Park, was presented with ACLD’s Thomas Choma Longevity Award, which recognizes individuals with disabilities who have maintained their employment for many years. Rainey, a resident of Deer Park and a job coach at ACLD, was presented with ACLD’s Advocate of the Year Award.

ACLD, a leading Long Island based not-for-profit agency supporting people with developmental disabilities, hosts the Breakfast each year as part of National Disability Employment Awareness Month. The event honors employees with special needs who have made notable achievements on the job, salutes businesses that are committed to hiring people with disabilities and encourages other businesses to do the same because, as Jeanie Shelton-Clyne, ACLD’s Assistant Director of Vocational Services said, “it’s what people can do that matters.”

“ACLD has been, continues to be, and will remain committed to helping the people we support pursue their dreams of meaningful, sustainable employment,” said Rich Breuninger, First Vice President of the ACLD Board of Trustees. “ACLD is dedicated to identifying successful employment solutions for people with developmental disabilities.”

Nearly 150 people, representing many of the more than 100 Long Island companies ACLD’s Vocational Program partners with, attended the event.

Adults and Children with Learning and Developmental Disabilities, Inc. (ACLD) was founded in 1957. The 501(c)(3), not-for-profit agency serves the needs of more than 3,000 children, teens and adults with learning disabilities, autism and other developmental disabilities, and provides support for their families. ACLD's mission is to provide opportunities for individuals with disabilities to pursue enviable lives, increase their independence and improve the quality of their lives within the community. ACLD employs more than 1,100 people and operates 80 different program sites including group homes and apartment programs across Nassau and Suffolk Counties. Service programs include early childhood services, day habilitation, residential alternatives, vocational training and job placement, recreation programs, respite, family support services, Medicaid service coordination, and medical and behavioral health services.

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- Photo Caption: Michael Lalicata of West Babylon, a Lot Attendant at The Home Depot in Deer Park, was presented ACLD’s Thomas Choma Longevity Award, which recognizes individuals with disabilities people who have maintained their employment for many years, during ACLD’s 2016 Employment Recognition Breakfast.

- Photo Caption: ACLD Job Coach Sharon Rainey of Deer Park was presented ACLD’s Advocate of the Year Award at ACLD’s 2016 Employment Recognition Breakfast.