Getting the scoop on work

Lemon Ice King partners with counseling center

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Editor’s Note: The last names of clients are abbreviated to protect their privacy.

Patients at the New Horizon Counseling Center’s day program for adults had a special opportunity over the summer, getting real-world work experience through a partnership that the center arranged with the Lemon Ice King of Corona, on Rockaway Avenue.

Owner Mike Giacobbe Jr. delivered a cooler with tubs of his product to the center every week HOW LONG, and participants set up shop in the building and sold ices to raise money for the program. But it was the experience that was the real payoff, center staff said; a useful exercise for people living with a range of social and emotional conditions that make interacting with the world more challenging.

“It was fun,” said participant Rudy L., 42. “I guess I’m shy, so it was a good learning experience for me, taking money from people.”

Eligio C., 56, called it a happy experience because he has difficulty communicating with people. “It brought back memories of when I was a child,” he said. “I used to go visit the original Lemon Ice King of Corona.”

For 35-year-old Adenica G., serving as a vendor gave her a taste of the work some of her relatives do in Jamaica, where they sell different things. She said she also benefited from the customer interactions. “The reason I like doing the ices is because it’s a way of expressing yourself to people,” she said, adding that focusing on the work was therapeutic. “Even if you’re not feeling good, or whatever the situation is, you can take your mind off of what you’re on that day.”

Participant Marc A., 27, said he took a lot away from the exercise. “I loved the experience because we got a chance, in a low-pressure environment, to learn various job skills,” he said. “It was very customer-oriented, so I learned how to greet and interact with people better, how to best promote the products and how to be friendly to people, and especially how to accept some customers telling you yes and some customers telling you no, and to keep your positive attitude about you, regardless.”

Audrey Goodman, the center’s community relations coordinator, arranged the operation with Giacobbe after she stopped in the store to ask about possible fundraising opportunities. Giacobbe was interested, and they decided to take things a step further and involve clients in the fundraising.

Goodman said that the money raised would be used to buy materials for the program. “It was much bigger and better than I thought it could be,” she said.

Giacobbe said that one of his employees visited the center to train participants to scoop the ices properly — using the scoop to get the maximum amount possible, and scooping evenly so that the ice stayed level in the tubs, which is important for presentation.

He said working with Audrey and the center was a nice experience, and would do it again next year.

“This is definitely part of our effort to become an integrated part of the Valley Stream community,” Giacobbe said.