May 15, 2009

Nonprofit opens Farmingdale store to train disabledBy Keiko MorrisNewsday.com

Carolann Lyons eagerly pointed out some of the choice items displayed prominently on shelves and tables, meticulously straightening handbags and glasses as cameras followed her about the store. She took a moment to tell Nassau County Legis. David Mejias (D-Farmingdale) that the watch set he was holding cost $24 but she could offer him a discount. And did he know that they also do gift wrapping?

“How am I doing?” she whispered discreetly to a staff person.

“Wonderful,” came the reply.

Lyons and her colleagues welcomed visitors and provided tours Thursday of Fancy FREE, a Farmingdale gift shop on Main Street, celebrating the official launch of a training program created by Family Residences and Essential Enterprises Inc.

The Old Bethpage nonprofit, which provides residential, vocational, medical and social services for the developmentally disabled, bought and opened the store two years ago with the vision of creating a hands-on training program for its participants. Last month it received the licensing necessary to open a day program at the store.

“It helps them develop not just technical skills,” said Barry R. Donowitz, the program’s associate director, “it helps them develop social skills, because they interact with customers. And they can point to this and say, ‘I created this. I did this.’ “

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