By Jenifer Howard
Delicious organic blueberries sold by the Abilis Competitive Employment program are available now through mid-August while supplies last.
GrahamBerries, the delicious, just-picked farm-fresh organic blueberries available each summer through Abilis, are back for the summer season and available while supplies last! GrahamBerries have become a summer staple and are known for their plump, juicy delicious flavor and their support of Abilis community members who gain important employment skills as they sell the blueberries. GrahamBerries are sold at several locations around Greenwich and Darien, Connecticut, at the Abilis run Cafés and Abilis Gardens & Gifts as well as other locations around town.
“The community is so excited for GrahamBerries,” noted Amy Montimurro, CEO and president of Abilis. “It’s a summer treat that has a loyal following; locals that know and love GrahamBerries wait patiently all year long for them, so this is a very special time of year.”
GrahamBerries will be available now through midAugust, or as long as supplies last, and are available for $14 a quart or $5 a half-pint. Orders can be placed in advance at Abilis Gardens & Gifts by calling 203-531GIFT or in-person at all of the following locations:
• Abilis Gardens & Gifts: M-F, 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., 50 Glenville Street, Greenwich, Connecticut (Quarts & Half-Pints).
• The Café at Greenwich Library: M-Th, 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., Fri-Sat, 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., Sun 1:00p.m. – 3:00 p.m., 101 W. Putnam Avenue, Greenwich (HalfPints).
• Island Beach Concession Stand: M-Sun, 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. (Half-Pints).
• Cos Cob Firehouse: Mondays, 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., 200 E. Putnam Avenue, Greenwich (Quarts).
• Old Greenwich Farmers Market: Wednesdays, 2:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., 38 West End Avenue, Old Greenwich (Quarts).
• Greenwich Town Hall: M-Th, 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., 101 Field Point Road, Greenwich (Quarts).
• The Café at Darien Library: M-Th, 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.; Fri, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Sat, 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., 1441 Post Road, Darien (Half-Pints).
• Boxcar Cantina: GrahamBerries are used in special GrahamBerries Blueberry Margaritas, 44 Old Field Point Road, Greenwich.
GrahamBerries are from a unique partnership with Blueberry Hill, an organic blueberry farm in upstate New York owned by Peter and Phillippa Orzulak, whose son Graham is an Abilis community member.
“GrahamBerries have been a summer favorite going on close to 14 years now. Selling the berries provides a great opportunity for Graham, the namesake of GrahamBerries, and other individuals supported by Abilis, to learn valuable sales skills while selling the blueberries around town and at our Abilis-managed Cafés and the Island Beach Concession Stand,” noted Montimurro. “It is a great opportunity to learn retail sales skills as well as customer service and we are proud to have GrahamBerries as part of our Abilis Employment program. This ongoing program helps provide positive work experiences for our adult community members with disabilities. Selling the GrahamBerries is both fun and empowering for our Abilis community members and we love that we’ve been able to partner with the Orzulak’s on this important initiative.”
The Orzulak family, who owns the blueberry farm “Blueberry Hill,” and their team pick the blueberries, package them and personally transport them to Greenwich, where the Orzulak’s son Graham and his team of blueberry sales staff set up locations around town.
“We knew that having a child with special needs would require some creative thinking when it came time for our son to have a job,” said Philippa Orzulak, Graham’s mother. “As our son was graduating school and was ready to work, we started thinking outside the box and worked with the Abilis Competitive Employment team to come up with some work that Graham could do. He started with a paper shredding business and then serviced two snack machines. We started our organic blueberry farm in 2011 and decided that extending the blueberry sales to the Abilis program participants would be a good way to help individuals interact with customers, perfect their sales techniques and learn new job skills. Now after selling the blueberries locally for more than a decade, Graham is often referred to as ‘the Blueberry Mayor of Greenwich!”
Graham has received services from Abilis beginning when he was a baby with Abilis’ Birth to Three program. Diagnosed as an infant with Angelman Syndrome, a genetic disorder, Graham started to receive supports in the Early Intervention program. As Graham approached adulthood, his family wanted him to have opportunities to be more independent and that included a job. Abilis developed an individualized day program, a beautiful home for Graham and his friends, and an employment plan, which included selling and delivering organic blueberries from his family’s farm.
Abilis’ Employment Program was designed to work with individuals to create customized career plans that build upon their interests and skills and offer avenues toward employment in the community. Abilis’ businesses are part of the Employment program and include Abilis Gardens & Gifts, Abilis Café, a paper shredding business, GrahamBerries, The Café at Greenwich Library, Island Beach Concession, The Café at Darien Library, The Café at the Darien YMCA and the Abilis Courthouse Café at the Stamford courthouse. Abilis also partners with more than 100 other local businesses as part of the Competitive Employment Program and works with partners such as Feinsod’s Ace Hardware, Gregorys Coffee, Stop and Shop, Something Natural, Home Depot, The Greenwich Country Club and many other businesses to provide additional job training and meaningful work for its Abilis community.
To learn more about GrahamBerries call Abilis Gardens & Gifts at 203-531-GIFT (4438). To learn more about Abilis’ Competitive Employment Program, visit abilis.us or call 203-531-1880.
