when it makes its return Job fair draws 3,000, doubling fall turnout

By nICOLe fOrMIsAnO nformisano@liherald.com

HempsteadWorks recently held a job fair, which was described as the most successful to date — with more than 80 businesses participating, 3,000 people attending and hundreds of applications being filled out.

The April 20 event drew a line of business-clad hopefuls that stretched out the door of the Freeport Recreation Center, down the sidewalk and around the corner. While last September’s job fair produced 1,500 people seeking employment, last month’s saw more than double those numbers. HempsteadWorks runs a job fair in the spring and fall of each year.

By Ben fIeBerT bfiebert@liherald.com

The Grand Baldwin Festival is coming back within the next few weeks, and it promises to be bigger than ever.

The event, which is expected to return later this month or in early June, was scheduled for last Saturday, but was rained out. More than 100 vendors are signed up to take part when it does take place, hosted by the Community Coalition of Baldwin and celebrating the community.

David Viana, a co-chair of the event, said it would be the largest one ever since the event debuted in the fall of 2019. “We’ve been saying that this will be our grandest festival yet, because it will include the most . . . vendor spaces that we’ve ever had,” he said. According to Viana, there will be no more room for vendors, with some 112 planning to be involved. The event was initially scheduled to be held on the Baldwin Public Library parking lot, but the site for the rain date had not been finalized as the Herald went to press.

“We’re very excited to have so many vendors,” Viana said. “It will be a mix of food vendors, retail, clothing, accessories, housewares and jewelry. So it’s a nice, eclectic mix of different vendors from Baldwin.”

The food vendors will include Pops and Continued on page 4

dejeAne edOuArd job seeker

“It’s so people can have a better quality of life, for employment, so they can support their families and strengthen the economy,” Eric Mallette, commissioner of the Town of Hempstead’s Occupational Resources, said. “And also to give back to the community if they have gainful employment. And a lot of employers are looking for employees. We’ve been pretty successful in helping them.”

The more than 80 businesses featured opportunities from nearly every feasible field — retail, healthcare, education, security, banking, hospitality and more.

“We want to make sure that there’s a diverse group of businesses and industries available to everyone,” Kurt Rockensies, the town’s deputy commissioner, said. “We try to get every industry possible to participate.”

Jeffrey Johnson, program director of Urban Seniors Jobs Program, with the Urban League of Westchester County Inc., noted that job fairs have been the source of plenty of success for his company. Many of their hires came directly from job fair applications.

“We come as often as we can,” Johnson said. “HempsteadWorks does a great job of getting the word out to the public. Our Continued on page 14