28 LONGISLANDPRESS.COM • APRIL 2018
A SPECIAL FARM FOR SPECIAL PEOPLE
A special place to connect with others, receive the support and
help needed to heal and discover one’s own strength and resilience
CONNECTIONS SUPPORT GROUP PROGRAM
The Neighborhood House offers support groups for children,
teenagers and adults grieving the loss of a loved one with
special groups designated for those grieving death by suicide
or overdose. Through our specialized support groups, we
provide a unique community experience in which participants
share a home-cooked dinner together due to the generosity
of community volunteers, engage in professionally led support
groups and work cooperatively in expressive art therapy activities
together before returning home. Our groups meet weekly for
8-week cycles throughout the year.
WARRIORS OF HOPE
PREVENTION PROGRAMS
The Neighborhood House is dedicated to providing
community programs to enhance support for young people
and adults, in an effort to reduce the number of deaths by
suicide and drug overdose. We work with local schools
offering our Warriors of Hope Summits in which we train
high school students to be peer leaders in addiction and
suicide prevention. We also provide motivational guest
speakers for students, and partner with local agencies to
offer workshops for the Long Island community.
The Neighborhood House accepts donations, corporate sponsorships and welcomes volunteers. We are a 501(c)3 tax-exempt organization.
132 Clyde Street, Suite 10A West Sayville, NY 11796 (631) 589-0055
www.tnh-hope.org info@tnh-hope.org
www.facebook.com/neighborhoodhouseofsayville
PRESS BUSINESS
By CHRISTA GANZ
Advocates are giving Long Islanders
a reason to smile this spring, as they
grow their nonprofit, Smile Farms,
which gives agricultural jobs to
people with special needs in their
communities.
On April 4, the group held a ribboncutting
ceremony for their newest
farm, a collaboration with Cornell
Cooperative Extension of Suffolk,
a nonprofit community education
agency located in Yaphank. Smile
Farms also teaches individuals with
developmental disabilities how to
hone their green thumbs at four
other farms across Long Island and
Brooklyn.
“Having a job means a whole lot
more than having a paycheck,”
says Walter Stockton, founder and
CEO of Independent Group Home
Living (IGHL), which provides
services and support for people with
developmental disabilities. “It’s your
reason for being. It’s social. It’s what
you talk about with your family.”
Brothers Jim and Chris McCann,
founders of 1-800-Flowers.com,
helped sow the seeds of Smile Farms
with the help of Stockton, by funding
their first year-round greenhouse in
Moriches about 20 years ago. Their
brother, Kevin, an IGHL resident,
inspired them to take up the cause.
Kevin and his coworkers have been
growing flowers that are sold locally
ever since. The families of these
gardeners have reported noticing
positive changes in their loved
ones. It quickly became clear that
Smile Farms not only impacted the
community as a whole, but also
improved the lives of participants
by planting in them a new sense of
pride.
With the help of other Long Island
nonprofit organizations such as The
Viscardi Center in Albertson and
Skills Unlimited in Oakdale, the
McCann brothers expanded their
services, at the request of the special
needs community. They now combine
their agricultural knowledge with
their passion for this mission.
Currently, the new Yaphank-based
organic produce and flower farm
employs 12 IGHL clients in the
group’s Vocational Program. After
the completion of renovations, they
expect to grow to 24 IGHL employees
this spring.
The furthest west location of Smile
Farms is at the League Education and
Treatment Center in Brooklyn. Its
sensory garden benefits students from
the League School.
While currently having only New
York-based locations, Smile Farms
hopes to grow its mission nationally.
Smile Farms provides people with developmental disabilities
meaningful work in agriculture.
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link
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