Preparing for Mother’s Day, the men and women supported by Pre-Vocational Services (Pre-Voc) got to work in April and May creating heartfelt crafts and keepsakes for pop-up sales across AHRC’s offices in Brookville, Plainview, and Freeport. These pop-ups give everyone at the agency a chance to find the perfect gift, while offering people supported by Pre-Voc the opportunity to build employment skills.

For the Mother’s Day promotion, the men and women supported by Pre-Voc took on every part of the production process — making, packaging and selling items for the holiday. AHRC Nassau Pre-Vocational Services supports people to develop valuable job skills, preparing for competitive employment with community partners such as Walgreens, Panera Bread, and Wheatley Farms in Brookville.

During the Brookville mansion sale, Roxanne Wong, Theresa Clarkin, Robert Callari, James Sardiello, and David Crespo were eager to greet customers and assist them with purchases of handmade cards, mug gift sets, and carefully wrapped hoya heart succulents.

“I helped make the cards,” James said while gesturing to a display. “We have a special machine at Freeport to make the cups.”

At the workstation back at Freeport, people supported by Pre-Voc used a stamping machine to create custom designs like a  “plant mom” mug. They also hand-poured the candles and cut out designs for the cards. The entire experience taught them how to take products from development to sales. They were also the cashiers on sale days, working on money, customer service, and problem-solving skills all at once.

Congratulations to the men and women supported by Pre-Voc on a successful pop-up sale! Looking forward to seeing your next great ideas come to life.