Warwick ShopRite presented with 2011 employer recognition award

WARWICK - Representatives of ENABLE, a division of Small & Associates, Inc., Livingston, N.J., presented Warwick ShopRite with its 2011 Employer Recognition Award during a ceremony at the store on Tuesday, June 28. According to its mission statement, Small & Associates, Inc. works to assist individuals with disabilities and enhance their independence by providing employment and other support services. The ENABLE division was developed to secure suitable and sustained competitive employment for persons with disabilities including, but not limited to, intellectual disability, development disability, brain injury, mental health, vision loss and other physical conditions. The object is to foster an environment in which persons with disabilities are encouraged to make informed choices about employment options, including full participation in mainstream employment. Although Small & Associates, Inc. is a for-profit company, it generates its income through contracts with government agencies, non-profit organizations and private companies but not from the individuals it serves. The ENABLE Employer Recognition Award is presented annually to employers who demonstrate an outstanding commitment to hiring people with disabilities and accommodating their special needs. Warwick ShopRite was one of eight employers in New York and New Jersey to receive this year’s award. “We are very happy to participate in the ENABLE program along with other programs that help us offer employment opportunities for people with disabilities,” said Warwick ShopRite’s Human Resource Manager Shannon DeFreese. “ShopRite supports the education and training of special needs students to prepare them for meaningful careers in the supermarket industry.” In cooperation with several programs in addition to ENABLE, Warwick ShopRite currently employs approximately a dozen people with disabilities.