The Claire Friedlander Family Foundation, in partnership with The Corporate Source, a Garden City-based nonprofit that creates employment opportunities for individuals with disabilities, honored Robert Rodriguez, a Bay Shore amputee, with the National Disabilities Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM) Champion Award. Recognizing the contributions of people with disabilities in the workforce, The Corporate Source invited prominent Long Island businesses to nominate an employee with a disability who they believed should be chosen as a NDEAM Champion among Long Island employers.
Rodriguez, 30, whose right leg was amputated below the knee when he was 10 months old, was nominated for the distinction by his employers at East Coast Orthotic & Prosthetic Corp., which is owned by brothers Larry and Vincent Benenati. Four judges selected Rodriguez from a pool of 10 applicants because of his outstanding enthusiasm and commitment to helping other amputees.
“The Claire Friedlander Family Foundation salutes the work of the work of The Corporate Source for providing dignity through employment opportunities to those who might otherwise be marginalized for a disability,” said foundation President Peter J. Klein.
For more information about The Corporate Source click here.
The Corporate Source honors Robert Rodriguez from East Coast Orthotics & Prosthetics as the 2017 Long Island NDEAM Champions Award winner. L to R: Michael Kramer, Corporate Source CEO; Peter J. Klein, Claire Friedlander Family Foundation President; Patricia DelGenio, Raymour & Flanigan VP of Human Resources; Robert Rodriguez; Larry Benenati, East Coast O & P President