Mark Engel of Farmingdale and Target-Farmingdale Honored at ACLD 30th Annual Employment Recognition Breakfast

DECEMBER 4, 2015; FARMINGDALE, NY – Mark Engel of Farmingdale, an employee with Target-Farmingdale, was among Long Island area employees recognized by Adults and Children with Learning and Developmental Disabilities (ACLD) during ACLD’s 30th Annual Employment Recognition Breakfast at Carlyle on the Green in Farmingdale, receiving ACLD’s PACE (Partnership for Advancement and Choices in Employment) Award. Also recognized during the Breakfast for its support and partnership with ACLD’s Vocational Programs was Target-Farmingdale’s management team, which was declared Advocate of the Year.

More than 150 people representing over 100 Long Island companies that partner with ACLD’s Vocational Programs attended the event. As a leading Long Island-based not-for-profit agency devoted to providing opportunities for children and adults with learning disabilities, autism and other developmental disabilities pursue enviable lives, ACLD hosts the Breakfast each year as part of National Disability Employment Awareness Month. The annual event honors individuals with special needs who have made notable achievements on the job while saluting businesses that have committed to hiring individuals with disabilities and actively encourage other businesses to do the same.

“Meaningful work creates an opportunity for individuals with developmental disabilities to have another dimension of purpose and satisfaction in their lives,” said Rich Breuninger, First Vice President of the ACLD Board of Trustees. “ACLD continues to be committed to pursuing the dream of employment with the people we support.”

Beyond Mr. Engel, this year’s roster of employees honored at ACLD’s 30th Annual Employment Recognition Breakfast included:

• ACLD Vocational Achievement Award recipient Steven Azarian of Valley Stream, who works with Shred-It in Westbury
• ACLD Vocational Achievement Award recipient Elizabeth Loyola of Huntington Station, who is employed with ShopRite in Commack
• ACLD Vocational Achievement Award recipient Lawrence Nagel of West Babylon, who works at Best Yet Market in West Babylon
• ACLD Vocational Achievement Award recipient Cory Zimmerman of Bay Shore, who is an employee with Summit Manufacturing in Bay Shore
• ACLD Thomas Choma Longevity Award recipient Andrew Cosel of East Setauket, who works at Stony Brook University in Stony Brook
• ACLD Thomas Choma Longevity Award recipient Fred Spiegel of Huntington Station, who is employed with Aramark Food Service at LIU-Post in Greenvale

Among other local businesses recognized during the Breakfast were Panera Bread-Doherty Enterprises, Inc., headquartered in Allendale, NJ and has locations in Plainview, West Babylon, Bay Shore and Bohemia, which received ACLD’s Business Leadership Award; and Shred-It of Westbury, which was named Employer of the Year.

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 77 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.

# # #

Photo Caption:
Pictured at ACLD’s 30th Annual Employment Recogntion Breakfast is ACLD PACE Award Honoree Mark Engel of Farmingdale (second from left) with (from left to right) Target-Farmingdale team’s Bridget Riscia, Annabella Lynch and Helena Flahive, who accepted ACLD’s Advocate of the Year designation on behalf of Target-Farmingdale.