Page 31 - 12th Annual Long Island Imagine Awards Program
P. 31

Innovation



 Kim M. Kubasek, Chief Executive Officer  Beth Fiteni, MSEL, Managing Director
 Developmental Disabilities Institute         Green Inside and Out
 99 Hollywood Drive, Smithtown, NY 11787  Long Island, NY
 (631) 366-2900 | www.ddiny.org  www.greeninsideandout.org
 Since 1961, Developmental Disabilities Institute (DDI) has provided compassionate, personal care   Green Inside and Out’s Mission is to empower and educate consumers about better alternatives
 to meet the emotional, therapeutic, educational and vocational needs of children and adults with   for low-environmental impact living. Purpose: Without a clean environment, life on earth,
 autism and other developmental disabilities. Founded by parents of children with developmental   human or otherwise, is unsustainable. Green Inside and Out seeks to educate people on how
 disabilities, DDI now serves more than 1,500 children and adults in sixty-five sites and homes   best to protect themselves and the environment through their daily choices, for the benefit of
 across Long Island. DDI recognizes that everyone has unique needs, abilities, and dreams and   all. We primarily focus on two main issues- toxins and waste reduction.
 deserves every opportunity to live a rich and meaningful life.  With a workforce of people inspired
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 by purpose , DDI provides the highest quality standards of individualized services from expertly   About 12-15% of LI’s residential solid waste is food scraps. It currently goes to incinerators
 trained, caring and competent staff.   but could instead be used to create compost to improve local soils. To address this issue of
      food waste, through a public/private partnership, Green Inside and Out and the LI Organics
 DDI’s Adult Day Services Greenhouse Project is a transformative approach to enhancing physical   Council worked with the Town of Riverhead to successfully carry out a Food Scrap Recycling
 and emotional well-being, while fostering DDI’s budding retail enterprise Bits & Bites. An inclusive   Grant project funded by the NYS Pollution Prevention Institute. Launched in Riverhead in
 and therapeutic environment for individuals of all abilities, the Greenhouse produces organic   May 2023, this project was unique in that it was the first municipal food scrap drop off site
 crops that are distributed to DDI residences, sold at community events, and this year, to our   on Long Island, though numerous similar projects have been created upstate and elsewhere.
 neighborhood deli. With 75% of adults with autism unemployed or underemployed, the vocational   Residents can now bring their food scraps to the site and the Town converts them into compost.
 aspect is critical in developing skills from gardening to sales and creating employment opportunities.    We published project signage and related factsheets in Spanish to make information accessible
 DDI’s Greenhouse Projects envisions establishing a community-supported agriculture business,   to the Spanish-speaking community. Since then the project has converted about 2,000lbs of
 contributing to food banks, and continuing to raise awareness of the significant impact of people   food scraps per week into compost, which enriches soil and avoids emissions of methane, a
 with developmental disabilities.   potent greenhouse gas. We hope to pursue other LI Townships to help them establish similar
      composting projects.




 Mike Rosen, Chief Marketing Officer  Michael Kitakis, Executive Director
 Guide Dog Foundation for the Blind, Inc.® & America’s VetDogs®  Spirit of Huntington Art Center
 371 East Jericho Turnpike., Smithtown, NY  11787-2976  2 Melville Rd, Huntington Station, NY 11746
 (631) 930-9000 | www.guidedog.org | www.vetdogs.org  (631) 470-9620 | www.spiritofhuntington.com
 For more than 75 years, the Guide Dog Foundation for the Blind, Inc., based in Smithtown, NY,   The Spirit of Huntington Art Center believes creative expression ignites a passion in individuals of
 has trained and placed guide and service dogs to provide independence, enhanced mobility, and   all ages and abilities that transforms their lives. Within our Community Arts Center we offer the
 companionship to people who are blind, have low vision, or other disabilities. Its sister organization,   innovative ArtWORKS program, where students receive personalized training with skills and
 America’s VetDogs, was established by the Guide Dog Foundation in 2003 to provide specially   knowledge in digital art and design courses that can lead to gainful employment and personal
 trained service, guide and facility dogs to veterans, active-duty military, and first responders with   expression.
 physical and emotional disabilities, such as PTSD. The Guide Dog Foundation and America’s
 VetDogs are independent 501(c)(3) national  not-for-profit organizations serving clients  from   Working with computer graphics and the Adobe suite of programs beyond traditional art
 across the United States and Canada. It costs more than $50,000 to breed, raise, train, and place   courses, students progress towards creating marketing and branding work such as logos,
 one assistance dog, but the Guide Dog Foundation and America’s VetDogs provide its services   brochures, event programs, video clips and newsletters, with marketing support and social
 completely free of charge to the individuals it serves. The organizations rely on contributions from   media management for a roster of in-house clients. Our program includes both classes and
 generous individuals, corporations, service clubs, and foundations to fund its mission to serve   internships focused on experiential learning with real companies. ArtWORKS offers courses in
 people with disabilities, helping them to Live Without Boundaries . Each organization is accredited   digital art, computer graphics, and video along with projects for over 12 nonprofit organizations
 ®
 by both the International Guide Dog Federation and Assistance Dogs International. Learn how to   such as Vanguard Benefits, RISE Life Services, AHRC, Audubon at Great South Bay, and
 Apply, Volunteer, and Donate at GuideDog.org and VetDogs.org or call 631-930-9000.  Northport Symphony Orchestra. With unemployment rising over 85% for young adults of
      differing abilities, ArtWORKS offers real-world workplace applications through experiential
      learning that students can use for their personal portfolios and industry media. Students acquire
      the hard and  soft skills  for supporting non-profit clients  with social media management,
      marketing and advertising, learning to turn concepts into real work product. In this structured
      environment, students develop self-confidence through teamwork and collaboration, refining
      their communication skills so important in the workplace today.



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