January 2017 FREE Blast

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#40YearsOfFREE

Did you know that FREE joined the Facebook Community in the year 2012?

Share our page with your friends and family to help us reach our goal of 4,000 likes in honor of our 40th Anniversary!

Keep an eye out for posts containing our hashtag,#40YearsOfFREE, to see fun facts, trivia, and throwbacks.  Also, use the hashtag to share your own FREE memories for a chance to be featured on one of our social media pages!

Fancy FREE Black & Gold Social

The Black & Gold New Years’ Social was a Deaf Event, where individuals from the community came to Fancy FREE to sign and talk to one another.  There was 30 people in attendance, including members of the Speakers Bureau!  The event also served as a kick-off Fancy FREE’s upcoming ASL classes.

Landscape Constructions at the Airport

Congratulations to all of our Artists whose works are now hanging proudly at MacArthur airport.  Special thanks to the Islip Arts Council for allowing us to use their gallery wall!

Skills Facebook

We are excited to announce, the launch of our Network Partner, Skills Unlimited, Inc’s, brand new Facebook Page!!!  Make sure you like their page so you can keep up with all of the amazing things they do each day!

Check it out HERE!

MLK Day of Service

Adelante participated in a day of service, in honor of Martin Luther King Day, at the Mid-Island YJCC.  There, they put together care packages and receive donations that would stock Adelante’s food pantry.

Workforce Development

On Thursday, January 5th the students in FREE’s Workforce Development Course participated in a field trip at Wyandanch Rising Village in which they received an overview of the 10-year revitalization planning process by the Executive Director of the development company, Russell Albanese.  The students learned about the pivotal role of community involvement that went into the project and the various job areas and careers involved in the planning, design and operations.  The day included career-related guest speaking by multiple employees of Wyandanch Rising, a tour of the village as well as free ice skating on the new Wyandanch ice rink!

Thank You Volunteers!

FREE had a special lunch for all of our 2016 Volunteers! Without the dedication of these Valued Team Members, we would not be able to achieve all of the amazing things we do each year!

Congratulations FREE!

FREE is so honored to be named Non-Profit of the Year by the Melville Chamber of Commerce.  Valued Team Member, Patrice Radowitz, was presented with a Certificate of Merit by Assemblyman Chad Lupinacci and a Proclamation by Legislator DuWayne Gregory at an awards ceremony.  Congratulations!

Fancy FREE Makeup Day

Cheryl of Fancy FREE did an amazing job teaching some of the women in program how to put on makeup.  Don’t they look great?!

Inspire Your Heart with Art

In honor of Inspire your Heart with Art Day, Fancy FREE held a special event to unveil their brand new gallery space, featuring some beautiful pieces created by members of FREE’s Fine Art and Art Therapy programs! If you are in Farmingdale Village, stop by and check it out!

9 to 5

The FREE Players had two spectacular performances of “9 to 5” at the Bay Way Arts Center!  We are so proud of all who were involved in this amazing production.  Can’t wait to see what they will perform next!

Keep following your dream Diane!

We would like to give a BIG Congratulations to Diane K., of Fancy FREE, who began her second semester of college!  We could not be happier that she is on her way to achieving this lifelong goal!

United Way recognizes Adelante

United Way featured a post about Adelante on their Facebook page!  We are so proud to have such an amazing organization as a part of the Family of FREE Network!

State of the State

Valued Team Members, Anita Dowd and Michelle Flood, had the privilege to attend Governor Cuomo’s State of the State Address at Farmingdale State College.

Volunteering in the Community

Community-Based Integrated Day Habilitation participants are always looking for ways to give back to their community.  This month, some participants volunteered their time at “Doggie Don’s”, a pet store in East Northport.  Businesses like Doggie Don’s give our men and women real work experience, and serve to help them gain the skills necessary to seek employment opportunities in the future.

Stop the Bounce on the Radio

Dr. Christopher D. Long was interviewed on
The Adopting Teens and Tweens Radio Show, put on by
You Gotta Believe.  The host, Pat O’Brien, spoke to Chris about his book, “Stop the Bounce”, as well as his experience adopting his five sons.

Click HERE to listen to the show!

Taste NY

The Taste NY, Long Island Welcome Center on the LIE, now serves food made by Terry’s Café!  We are so proud of all that Terry’s has accomplished recently, and this is the perfect opportunity to show our community members how talented our chefs are!

Recovery Rising

We are so excited to announce the launch of FREE’s Behavioral Health Department’s new newsletter, “Recovery Rising”.  Also, we would like to offer our congratulations to Peer Specialist, Michelle Schoudel, for designing and laying out this incredible publication!

Solutions Box Contest

Congratulation to Valued Team Members, Rob Alpi and Laura Graf, for winning the FREE Values Name the Solutions Box Contest!  The new name of the box will be “Innovation Station” and the landing page will be titled “The Out-of-the-Box Box”.  Rob and Laura will also have the privilege to help our Development Team with the design of the page on the brand new Employee Portal!

#FREETalentTuesday

Make sure you check your email to see the weekly#FREETalentTuesday Social Media Contests!  By participating in the contest, you not only help FREE with our recruiting efforts, but also enter yourself in a lottery to win a fabulous prize!  Remember…if someone is hired based on your recommendation, you are entitled to a Referral Bonus!!!

CQL recognizes FREE

CQL created a congratulatory post for FREE on their Facebook page recognizing our recent accreditation!

PROS Rising Warriors

The PROS Rising Warriors is a very talented group of singers.  They held a bake sale in Bethpage to raise money for upcoming events.  Stay tuned for some exciting announcements so you can come see them perform live!