Enable America Wins Non-Profit of the Year Award from CAAID
CAAID, The Corporate Achievers for Individuals with Disabilities, has honored Enable America with its "Non-Profit Achiever Award" for 2010, commending the organization for providing direct services that change the systemic barriers within the disability and the business communities.
New York, NY, June 04, 2010 --(PR.com)-- Enable America, a non-profit organization devoted to empowering people with disabilities to achieve independence through employment, has won the 2010 Non-Profit Achiever Award by The Corporate Achievers for Individuals with Disabilities (CAAID).
“CAAID honors organizations that are deeply committed to promoting equal access, opportunity and full participation of professionals with disabilities in a truly diverse global workforce,” said Chris Rosa, Chairman of Corporate Achievers Awards for Individuals with Disabilities. “CAAID felt that Enable America’s disability employee mentoring programs are national best practices that are consistent with these core principles.”
“We are honored and appreciative that CAAID recognizes those who are committed to improving the lives of people with disabilities, including Enable America,” said Steve LaBour, Enable America’s Executive Director, who was on hand to accept the honor at the CAAID award ceremony. “On behalf of everyone who works with Enable America to increase employment opportunities for people with disabilities, let me say, thank you.”
Enable America is aligned with CAAID’s goals, producing a wide variety of programs across the country that assist people with disabilities, including disabled American military veterans. Among those programs is VetConnect, which is dedicated to helping wounded warriors re-acclimate to civilian life, by pairing them with veterans who have faced similar challenges. Since 2007, more than 200 wounded warriors and their families have been served by VetConnect mentors across the country.
“As CAAID Chair and a Dean at the City University of New York, an institution that enrolls more than 2,000 military veterans and reservists, I was particularly impressed with Enable America’s VetConnect program, which offers the holistic support that disabled veterans need in order to transition to civilian life and competitive employment,” Rosa said. “Indeed, like Enable America, CAAID firmly believes that ‘Good things happen when people have jobs.’ Furthermore, we believe that great things happen when people with disabilities are served by Enable America.”
Enable America also offers mentoring programs that build bridges between employers and people with disabilities. In this effort, Enable America matches mentors from local companies with “mentees” from the community, people with disabilities or wounded veterans who often have difficulty finding work.
“Enable America fits our criteria in the sense that they have been committed to identifying and alleviating significant barriers to employment for people with disabilities by reaching out to members of the disability, business, and military communities across the country,” said Nicole Caron Alvarez, Director/Coordinator of CAAID. “They focus on changing the systemic barriers within the disability and the business communities that impede the hiring of people with disabilities. They are unique from other nonprofits in the field that provide direct services to people with disabilities, such as job placement services.”
“We know there is a desire, and a sense of loyalty among people with disabilities, who really do want to be a part of the American dream,” said Richard Salem, founder and CEO of Enable America. “That mission to give people with disabilities a hand up, not a hand out, is at the heart of the work we do.”
Enable America also organizes community connection forums, designed to bring local leaders, lawmakers, employers and service providers together to learn and share success stories. These meetings are an important step in building relationships between those with disabilities, and their community. Another successful venture is Team Enable, which encourages physical fitness by people of all abilities, providing structure and support to organize activities.
More information on Enable America can be found at the organization’s web site, Enable America.org.
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About Enable America: Enable America was established in 2002 by attorney Richard Salem as a non-profit organization dedicated to helping people with disabilities find employment and live independently. The organization’s Community Connections, Business Connections, Employment Mentoring, and VetConnect programs unite members of the disability community and business community to raise awareness and increase employment opportunities for the 54 million Americans with disabilities, including our nation’s wounded warriors.
“CAAID honors organizations that are deeply committed to promoting equal access, opportunity and full participation of professionals with disabilities in a truly diverse global workforce,” said Chris Rosa, Chairman of Corporate Achievers Awards for Individuals with Disabilities. “CAAID felt that Enable America’s disability employee mentoring programs are national best practices that are consistent with these core principles.”
“We are honored and appreciative that CAAID recognizes those who are committed to improving the lives of people with disabilities, including Enable America,” said Steve LaBour, Enable America’s Executive Director, who was on hand to accept the honor at the CAAID award ceremony. “On behalf of everyone who works with Enable America to increase employment opportunities for people with disabilities, let me say, thank you.”
Enable America is aligned with CAAID’s goals, producing a wide variety of programs across the country that assist people with disabilities, including disabled American military veterans. Among those programs is VetConnect, which is dedicated to helping wounded warriors re-acclimate to civilian life, by pairing them with veterans who have faced similar challenges. Since 2007, more than 200 wounded warriors and their families have been served by VetConnect mentors across the country.
“As CAAID Chair and a Dean at the City University of New York, an institution that enrolls more than 2,000 military veterans and reservists, I was particularly impressed with Enable America’s VetConnect program, which offers the holistic support that disabled veterans need in order to transition to civilian life and competitive employment,” Rosa said. “Indeed, like Enable America, CAAID firmly believes that ‘Good things happen when people have jobs.’ Furthermore, we believe that great things happen when people with disabilities are served by Enable America.”
Enable America also offers mentoring programs that build bridges between employers and people with disabilities. In this effort, Enable America matches mentors from local companies with “mentees” from the community, people with disabilities or wounded veterans who often have difficulty finding work.
“Enable America fits our criteria in the sense that they have been committed to identifying and alleviating significant barriers to employment for people with disabilities by reaching out to members of the disability, business, and military communities across the country,” said Nicole Caron Alvarez, Director/Coordinator of CAAID. “They focus on changing the systemic barriers within the disability and the business communities that impede the hiring of people with disabilities. They are unique from other nonprofits in the field that provide direct services to people with disabilities, such as job placement services.”
“We know there is a desire, and a sense of loyalty among people with disabilities, who really do want to be a part of the American dream,” said Richard Salem, founder and CEO of Enable America. “That mission to give people with disabilities a hand up, not a hand out, is at the heart of the work we do.”
Enable America also organizes community connection forums, designed to bring local leaders, lawmakers, employers and service providers together to learn and share success stories. These meetings are an important step in building relationships between those with disabilities, and their community. Another successful venture is Team Enable, which encourages physical fitness by people of all abilities, providing structure and support to organize activities.
More information on Enable America can be found at the organization’s web site, Enable America.org.
###
About Enable America: Enable America was established in 2002 by attorney Richard Salem as a non-profit organization dedicated to helping people with disabilities find employment and live independently. The organization’s Community Connections, Business Connections, Employment Mentoring, and VetConnect programs unite members of the disability community and business community to raise awareness and increase employment opportunities for the 54 million Americans with disabilities, including our nation’s wounded warriors.
Contact
Enable America
Chris Jadick
813-222-3204
http://www.enableamerica.org
Chris Jadick
813-222-3204
http://www.enableamerica.org
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