Arbor Sponsors Smile Farms Golf Outing Supporting Local Employment Opportunities
Arbor, which takes pride in helping employees reach their full potential, was honored to sponsor and participate in the Smile Farms Golf Outing on May 20 at the Plandome Country Club on Long Island, NY, benefiting the Long Island-based organization dedicated to advancing opportunities for people with disabilities.
Arbor’s sponsorship stems from its support of Smile Farms’ mission. “Arbor was proud to once again sponsor the 10th Annual Smile Farms Golf Outing to help support a critical local organization that, in turn, offers so much hope and support to people living with disabilities,” said Adam Bell, Managing Director, Chief Marketing Officer at Arbor. “To have an Arbor foursome represented on the course meant so much to our team, to demonstrate how we show up for our community.”
Plandome played host to 53 foursomes, including Arbor’s Bell, Lou Sarube, Managing Director, Structured Asset Management, Peter Kempton, Senior Vice President, Talent Acquisition, and Joe Iele, Vice President, Database and Client Systems. Attendees witnessed the impact of their generosity firsthand when a Smile Seller with disabilities spoke during the event, sharing what he loves about working for Smile Farms.
“Smile Farms is fortunate to have many business partners such as Arbor Realty Trust who believe in and support our mission,” said Diana Martin, Managing Director at Smile Farms. “We have three major fundraising events every year, and the Annual Golf Outing is the longest-running, making it a cornerstone of our sustainability and, thus, our impact. We are so grateful to Arbor and other like-minded, local Long Island businesses for sponsoring our events and helping us make a true difference in the disabled community.”
Smile Farms’ Impact
Approximately 27 percent of U.S. adults live with some type of disability. Founded in 2015, Smile Farms saw the potential of the local disabled community. They began offering disabled adults the chance to work at meaningful jobs to help them learn new skills, contribute to a team and community, and experience the thrill of taking home a paycheck.
All Smile Farms campuses across Long Island and New York City are revenue-generating businesses that can use the funds earned to support participants’ employment and the organization’s mission. Smile Farms works closely with its partners to devise site-specific farming and marketing plans that maximize profitability. It helps fund start-up costs and provides ongoing financial support to each campus based on the number of people employed.
Smile Farms plants, flowers, and fresh produce are sold in various venues in the communities where campuses are located. Their produce is also used in partner organizations’ kitchens and donated to local nonprofits serving at-risk populations.
The organization’s work is part of a nationwide employment growth trend for disabled adults during the past decade. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data shows the disabled adult labor force participation rate was 24.2% in 2023, up nearly 20% in 10 years. Arbor, which is headquartered in Uniondale, was inspired to support the Smile Farms Golf Outing to contribute to the advancement of opportunities for disadvantaged individuals in the community we call home.
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