Annual Employer Appreciation Day Luncheon

Jackson Heights, NY, June 4, 2012 – Lexington School for the Deaf hosted its annual Employer Appreciation Day luncheon on June 1 to thank local companies and community organizations for employing students as interns, community service volunteers and summer workers. The school, which is part of the largest organization serving the deaf and hard-of-hearing community in New York State, has offered a career development program in cooperation with local employers for 35 years.

Representatives from 21 employers were presented with certificates by junior and senior students who participated in the program this year. Employer organizations included:

• Alley Pond Environmental Center
• Applebee’s
• GAP
• Baby GAP
• GAP Kids
• Gotte’s Café
• LaGuardia Marriott Hotel, New York LaGuardia Airport
• LaGuardia Plaza Hotel
• National Park Service (Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island)
• New York Hospital Queens
• Northeast Program Center Jamaica
• NYC Department of Education
• PS811Q The Marathon School
• Port Authority of NY/NJ ( LaGuardia Airport)
• Queens Botanical Garden
• Queens Library
• Queens High School of Teaching
• Regal Heights Rehabilitation & Healthcare Center
• Social Security Administration
• Sunnyside Community Services
• United Spinal Association

   

  The luncheon was catered by Gotte’s Café of 75-20 Astoria Blvd. Gotte’s was instrumental in 2011 byproviding the support needed to open an on-site snack bar at Lexington, which works with the School’s Vocational Services Center to train students and graduates.

   

  "In addition to offering our students an excellent classic education, Lexington’s mission is to help prepare them to participate fully in the world that awaits them as adults. The opportunity to intern or volunteer is a vital learning experience that gives our students a real-world glimpse of life in the workforce. It is often an equally impactful experience for the employers, who gain as much from learning to interact with deaf and hard-of-hearing workers as the students gain from the job experience,” said Tony Massa, Supervisor of Lexington’s Career Education & Guidance Department.

   

  " Lexington’s student interns fit in seamlessly with workers who have been with us for many years. All tasks they were assigned were completed above and beyond what was asked of them, no matter how big or small. I wish we had more time with them because they are certainly capable of learning and performing much more than we could cover this year. They will all be excellent workers in their future jobs – I wish I could hire them all!” said Andy Schoenholtz, Director of Food Services for Regal Heights Rehabilitation Center, which employed six Lexington students.

   

  All the students were enthusiastic about their experiences at Regal Heights Rehabilitation Center and are now considering careers in food service or a related field.  One student plans to pursue a business degree in college and eventually own a restaurant, and two plan to enroll in food service training programs.

   

  Lexington’s career development program is an elective for 11^th and 12th graders, who may choose to work as unpaid interns or community service volunteers during the school year. Lexington supplies transportation to all job sites as well as Career Education staff to accompany the students and provide American Sign Language interpretation. A limited number of paid summer jobs are also available through New York City’s Summer Youth Employment program, for which Lexington provides job coaches. The lottery for summer jobs will take place in June.

   

  Lexington actively seeks additional employers to provide internship, community service volunteer and paid summer job opportunities for students. For more information, contact Mr. Massa at (718) 350-3232 or tmassa@lexnyc.org.