Advocacy and Councils

Freeport Workforce Council

The Workforce Council Committee had a busy last quarter for the year 2022. Please find highlights bullets below:

WFC group attended Rights Rally at Brookville Mansion in October. Members presented on Rights to Vote at a reserved table and were able to interact with colleagues from other committees as well as the executive team.

WFC group helped organize a successful Pot Luck lunch event for Thanksgiving, on Wednesday 11/23/22. Everyone brought delicious dishes to be shared and enjoyed.

WFC group attended SANYS Conference (via livestream) on 12/2/22. Courtney Nupp, submitted and won the SANYS logo contest, which was featured broadly during marketing campaign, at the event and materials. Courtney joined the WFC wearing a SANYS tee shirt featuring her artwork in full display.

WFC participated in a Toy drive for Freeport in collaboration with Cathy Loquercio. Shown below are some Work Force Council members delivering toys collected to Eager to Serve, an after school program and women’s/children’s homeless shelter in Freeport. It was an incredibly special and meaningful activity for all involved in this project.

AHRC Day Hab Council Update

In July, Vice President Max was successful in having dividers placed between the urinals in the newly renovated men’s restroom in Freeport. Council members had the opportunity to apply for a job at the One Stop Gift Shop. If hired, they can obtain retail experience which could lead to future employment.

In August, Women’s Equality Day was celebrated by having a trivia event where people had the opportunity to answer questions about important women in history and how they impacted the rights that women have today. Many of the hub sites participated in the CQL accreditation visit where they had the opportunity to share their thoughts and ideas with the CQL team.

In September, council members reflected on 9/11 and shared stories of how it affected them. Staff Appreciation Week was celebrated by people making thank you cards for the staff in their hub sites who affected their lives in a positive way. They also made video tapes of themselves singing the praises of the staff that support them. Spanish heritage month was celebrated by viewing videos of influential people in Spanish history.

In October, many program participants participated in the AHRC walk-a-thon, with over 1000 people attending. Breast Cancer Awareness month was recognized by people wearing pink on Fridays during the month of October. Council members also wrote letters of support to cancer patients at Good Sam Hospital. A bake sale was held to help the victims of Hurricane Ian where $200 was raised to support this worthy cause.

In November, a food drive was held to help families in need. The items were donated to a local food pantry. People had the opportunity to complete a thankful flyer where they expressed their gratitude for people and things they have in their life. assemblyman Ed spoke at the council meeting where he spoke about the state budget and how money is spent to fund programs and residences.

In December, a toy drive was held. Many new toys that were donated were brought to the Freeport Fire Department who then donated them to Toys for Tots. A dress for success day was held where people had the opportunity to dress as if they were going for a job interview. A virtual talent show was held where many people had the opportunity to display their talent. It included singing, dancing, and a whole lot of talent!

Council members made holiday cards for people in the service, and they are being delivered to the VA hospital.

Sanys Conference Logo Contest Winner

Congratulations Courtney Nupp!

The winner of this year’s SANYS logo contest was Courtney Nupp a member of the AHRC Workforce Council.

Thank you Courtney for taking the time and effort to create this beautiful logo. Outstanding!

Out and About with Day Hab

Wheatley Farms and Arts Center

Working outside on a farm isn’t always easy with the weather extremes at times, but some winter days couldn’t be more beautiful to be outside! We hope everyone is able to step outside for a bit this winter and enjoy some of this gorgeous weather!

With the sun shining and the leaves still falling, people supported across AHRC Day Services have also begun to visit the Thomas S. Gulotta Wheatley Farms & Arts Center, Visitors enjoyed a tour of the farm and time spent with its animal residents. Here are a few fun moments from a visit by people from the Wantagh hub site.