Above from left: Sally A. Paull, Senior Vice President, Human Resources, Regeneron; Tibi Guzmán, Executive Director/CEO, The Arc Westchester; Marsha Gordon, President/CEO, The Business Council of Westchester and Nancy Patota, Executive Director, The Arc Westchester Foundation

On Fri., April 26, The Arc Westchester hosted our 31st Annual Employer Recognition Breakfast at The DoubleTree Tarrytown. This yearly celebration honors our 250 business and community partners throughout Westchester County that provide employment opportunities to those we support.

After opening remarks from Tibi Guzmán, our Executive Director and CEO, and Michael Orth, Westchester County Department of Community Mental Health Commissioner, we hosted a thought-provoking panel featuring some of our esteemed business partners. Moderated by Sally Paull, Senior Vice President of Human Resources at Regeneron, the panel featured:

• Matt Diana, Plant Manager, Cintas
• Helene Godin, Founder & CEO, By the Way Bakery
• Polly Peace, Executive Director, Country Children’s Center
• Joseph Saccomano, Jr., Office Managing Principal, Jackson Lewis

After hearing the panel’s insight into employing individuals supported by The Arc Westchester, the awards portion of the morning began. This year’s award winners included:

• Bridge to Employment: Feeding Westchester
• Continuing Partnership: The Mines Press
• New Business Partnership: Maier Markey and Justic LLP and Stillman Property Management
• Promoting Independence: Westchester County District Attorney’s Office, Yonkers Bureau
• The Anthony Cannata Memorial Employee Award: Yaniv Gorodischer, Chartwells at PACE University

Guzmán said, “At The Arc Westchester we value health, safety, happiness, relationships and independence, and we believe that by embracing these values in our programs we build talent that will benefit our business partners. Through our Employment Program, our individuals are able to meet their potential and become full contributors to the Westchester community through employment, internships and volunteering.”

Congratulations to all the award recipients and thanks to each and every one of them who support our employment program!