ARTHUR & FRIENDS-FARM 'N EARN GREENHOUSES

WHAT NEEDS ARE WE ADDRESSING?

The needs we are addressing include: healthy working environments, carbon footprint reduction, revitalization of local farming economy, improved access to local produce and most significantly, meaningful training and employment to increase and improve opportunities for disabled individuals to: Earn a livable, minimum wage; Learn and master life-skills, basic work skills as well as specialized agri-business skills; Develop an organizational culture that encourages people to utilize their potential to contribute rather than discounting them on the basis of stereotypes about their "limitations".

One area of concern is under-representation of the disabled in training environments and workplaces as trainees, or employees with obvious negative consequences in terms of unemployment and dependency. It begs the questions: What can be done to economically empower disabled people so they have equally rich opportunities to acquire marketable skills and find employment comparable to that of their non-disabled peers? We propose a green hydroponic industry serving central New Jersey - managed and run by re-abled individuals. Funding will allow for the construction and startup of a training greenhouse in Montgomery Township, New Jersey within the next six months. It will be sustainable within the 18-month grant period.

WHO ARE WE CATERING TO?

In New Jersey, where the Parikh Foundation is headquartered, a staggering 1 out of 68 children is diagnosed with autism. That is nearly 50 percent higher than the national average of 1 out of every 97. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that 1.2 million people under the age of 21 are on the autism spectrum. 90% of adults with autism are unemployed and 70% are unable to live independently. At least 500,000 children with autism will become adults during the next decade, and they will need homes, jobs, friends and a future.

Target audience includes adults with autism, aged 21 years and above. Our vision is to utilize the agriculturally zoned 18-acre land of the Parikh Foundation to create a dynamic hydroponic farm and provide training and employment to individuals with autism.

HOW ARE WE IMPLEMENTING THE BEST PRACTICES ON-SITE?

The first phase includes a 30' X 96" training greenhouse that utilize the Arthur & Friends training modules, a nationally recognized training program that specifically targets the needs of the disabled.

Greenhouse features:

The goals of the Arthur & Friends-Farm 'n Earn greenhouses include facilitating partnering organizations in:

• 30 X 96 Nor'Easter greenhouse with taller straight ground posts resulting in high side walls
• End walls are steel framing with 8mm clear polycarbonate doors
• Three 4' X 6' 8" insulated, pre-hung, lockable doors
• 8mm polycarbonate
• Two exhaust fans and intake shutters
• Two high efficiency gas heaters (either LP or natural gas) with heater hanger kits, vent pipe kits and four horizontal air-flow (HAF) fans
• State-of-the-art environmental controller that controls cooling, heating and HAF fans

Other features:

• Water, Electric and Gas hook-ups
• Access to bathroom facilities
• Parking
• ADA compliant facility

WHAT IS OUR COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE?

The concept has been implemented with success in the US with vulnerable populations that include individuals with disabilities, ex-offenders and individuals suffering from PTSD. To date it has not been implemented exclusively for those on the spectrum; however, individuals with autism have participated in similar programs with good results.

We believe this is a win-win all around: for consumers, retailers, underserved populations, the environment and communities. All stakeholders achieve significant benefits versus current options for producing, distributing and consuming produce.

It is truly transformational:
• Employing populations will not only provide much needed training and employment opportunities for the difficult-to-hire, thereby transforming their lives but also transform community attitudes towards these populations enabling similar opportunities to flourish in the future.
• On-site hydroponic greenhouses will transform the production and distribution system.
• It will grow organic-grade produce year-round to sell to local restaurants, grocery stores and residents.

It capitalizes on significant trends in the retail food business:
• A growing concentration of supermarkets resulting in fewer but much larger chains necessitates supermarkets to look for new ways to remain involved in local communities.
• Branding of produce (e.g. Dole, Cuties, Earthbound Farm) is becoming more acceptable to consumers. But so far, brands have failed to significantly differentiate and build consumer awareness.

It capitalizes on consumer trends:
• Increasing awareness and changing attitudes about eating healthy foods.
• Growing awareness and consumption of local, environmentally sustainable produce
• Changing consumer values to support social enterprises (e.g. Newman's Own)

It contains the three elements that most closely correlate to new business success:
• It fulfills a significant need among target audiences
• It provides significant advantages versus current options
• It is highly unique and differentiated

WHO ARE WE PARTNERING WITH?

The following partners have agreed to collaborate and provide support services, training and clients:

Autism Speaks is the world's leading autism advocacy organization, dedicated to funding research into the causes, prevention, treatments and cure for autism; increasing awareness; and advocating for the needs of individuals with autism and their families.

Eden Autism Services has over 40 years of clinical experience and success in educating individuals with autism, and training family members, educators and other professionals on the best practices.

Arthur & Friends began in 2008 as a social entrepreneurial training and employment program that provides meaningful community employment and training opportunities for individuals 18 years of age and older with disabilities so that they may live, work, and fully participate in their communities. The focus is on creating and expanding employment opportunities, especially for people with disabilities and individuals with socio-economic disadvantages who have for many years been considered unemployable.

Rangam Consultants, a staffing company serving Fortune 500 firms, is run by Nish and Hetal Parikh who are actively engaged in autism-related philanthropic activities, including
www.TheSpectrumCareers.com.

MEET OUR TEAM

Nish Parikh, CEO of technology firm WebTeam Corporation, VP of Rangam Consultants and founder of Parikh Foundation. Nish is a 2016 finalist for the annual NJBIZ Healthcare Heroes awards. He won Verizon’s Powerful Answer Award for building an autism intervention tool called ColorsKit and also won the 2015 AT&T; Civic App Challenge award. He is pioneering how to hire individuals with special needs through thespectrumcareers.com and has won ASA’s Care award for that work.

Wendie Blanchard, founder and National Director of Arthur & Friends, a program for the training and employment of marginalized citizens. In 2011, Mary Pat Christie awarded the New Jersey Heroes Award to Arthur & Friends. Arthur & Friends has won a NJ BIZ innovation award, was the recipient of an Edible Communities Food Hero award, designated the NJ Board of Agriculture’s Hero of the Year. The White House has acknowledged the program as one of 50 Champions of Change in 2010.

Gerald Franklin works with ColorsKit as a UI designer. His passion for serving the special needs community led him to join WebTeam. Diagnosed with Asperger syndrome, Gerald was well aware of many of the challenges that face the autism community. Gerald attended Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute to study how to create those shared experiences.