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Some of the most important lessons I’ve learned about why people flourish have come from my brother Kevin.
Kevin was born with a cognitive disability and was blessed with a genuine love for people and a desire to help others. Over the years, I've watched him flourish whenever someone recognized his gifts and gave him a place where he could contribute.
Kevin helped me realize that none of us flourishes on our own. Every life is shaped by people who encourage us and by communities that welcome us and give us the chance to grow. If you look back on your own life, you’ll probably recognize both.
When Kevin was growing up, those kinds of opportunities weren’t nearly as common for people with disabilities as they are today. We’ve made remarkable progress since then through changes in our laws and institutions. But helping people flourish also relies on people who choose to open doors and make others feel they belong.
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Making space for others
Growing up, life was harder for people like Kevin. Expectations were often too low, and opportunities too few. Often, people focused on what those with disabilities couldn’t do instead of imagining what they might become.
I remember my parents renting community centers where Kevin and other children with developmental disabilities could spend time together while their parents found support from one another. I now realize they weren’t just renting a room but creating a place where families felt welcome and children like Kevin had the chance to belong.
That same spirit found a national expression on July 26, 1990, when President George H.W. Bush signed the Americans with Disabilities Act. The ADA expanded access to schools, workplaces, transportation, and public spaces, affirming that people with disabilities deserve the same opportunities to participate and build meaningful lives.
Over the past three decades, the ADA has helped open countless doors. But every door still needs someone willing to hold it open. That’s the work of all of us: believing in someone’s potential and creating opportunities for them to thrive.
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The next step
Opening a door is only the beginning. What happens next depends on whether people are trusted and given the chance to contribute. That’s where relationships take root and people begin to discover what they’re capable of.
I’ve had the privilege of watching that happen for more than a decade through Smile Farms.
When my family and I started the nonprofit in 2015, our goal was straightforward: to create meaningful employment opportunities for adults with developmental disabilities like Kevin. What we’ve experienced since then has exceeded anything I could have imagined.
I’ve watched Smile Farmers grow in confidence as they mastered new responsibilities, welcomed new coworkers, and took pride in their work. I’ve seen families celebrate accomplishments that once felt out of reach. And I’ve seen genuine friendships take root.
One story that always makes me smile is the friendship between Grace Benevento and Doreen Adinolfi at IGHL. They met as coworkers at Smile Farms. Years later, they’re still showing up for one another — not just as colleagues, but as best friends.
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Meaningful work is about more than earning a paycheck. It gives people the chance to contribute and know they matter. Grace and Doreen didn’t just find jobs. They found each other.
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Keeping the door open
We all have the ability to shape the environments around us. Sometimes it begins with a job. Other times, it’s as simple as an invitation, a vote of confidence, or someone willing to believe in another person.
The Americans with Disabilities Act helped open doors that had been closed for far too long. But keeping those doors open has always depended on people who choose to welcome others and create opportunities for them to contribute.
That’s exactly what happened for Grace and Doreen. They came to Smile Farms looking for meaningful work. They found purpose, confidence, and a lifelong friendship.
As we mark another anniversary of the ADA, I hope we’ll remember that helping people flourish is the work of all of us. Every time we open a door, we strengthen another person’s life and our communities. Every opportunity we create gives someone the chance to contribute and belong.
All the best,
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Most people hope to inherit wealth. At 27, Dr. Silver Kung inherited $10 million in family debt instead.
That unexpected burden became the catalyst for an extraordinary journey. Today, he leads a $3.3 billion investment firm and has captured his hard-won wisdom in a new book, Silver Linings. In it, he shares the core principles that guided his turnaround, from the rigor of his early aerospace engineering background to pioneering impact investing in global supply chains.
In this week’s Power & Impact, we dive deep into the mindset required to turn a daunting crisis into an opportunity. We discuss why he embraced AI agents long before they became mainstream, his unique perspective on funding the future of clean energy through nuclear fusion, and why he views finance as a language everyone should learn.
Beyond the balance sheets, Dr. Kung opens up about the personal rituals that ground him and why lifelong learning remains one of life’s greatest investments.
If you enjoy conversations about leadership and entrepreneurship, be sure to subscribe to Power & Impact for new episodes every week.
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50 Years In: How Smile Farms took root
As 1-800-Flowers celebrates its 50th anniversary, I’ve been thinking about the lessons that shaped me long before I opened my first flower shop. Here’s a story about how a relationship — and a phone call — led to the creation of Smile Farms.
A little over 10 years ago, I got a call from Walter Stockton, who runs my brother Kevin’s home at Independent Group Home Living. Walter had a simple observation: Kevin would continue to grow and mature if he had meaningful work to do.
Kevin was hardly alone. Millions of adults with developmental disabilities wanted the same opportunity but had few places to find it.
That phone call led to dinner, and the dinner led to an idea. Working with Walter and my brother Chris, we found a Long Island property with aging greenhouses and a farm stand that had seen better days. Together, we transformed it into a farm where people with developmental disabilities could plant, grow, harvest, and experience the pride that comes from work.
That first campus has since grown into 14 across the New York metropolitan area, creating work opportunities for hundreds of Smile Farmers each year. The mission has expanded beyond agriculture into hospitality, and Smile Farmers now produce and distribute their own line of hot sauce, Heat With Heart.
Along the way, Smile Farms has also become the signature philanthropic partner of 1-800-Flowers.com. One of my greatest joys has been watching our associates embrace the mission as their own. Many volunteer each year at Smile Farms’ golf outings,
annual gala, farmers markets, and
community events.
Whenever I visit a Smile Farms campus, I think back to Walter’s phone call. Everything that has grown since started by believing in what one person could become if given the opportunity.
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How do you celebrate summer birthdays?
As someone with a summer birthday, I’ve experienced both the advantages and the challenges that come with celebrating this time of year.
For adults, birthdays often fall right in the middle of vacation season, when friends are traveling, calendars are full, and getting everyone together can be a challenge.
For children, summer birthdays can be even trickier. Without classmates together at school, parents often have to be a little more creative about bringing friends together, which has led many families to invent traditions that are uniquely their own.
What are your thoughts on summer birthdays? I’d love to hear your ideas. How does your family celebrate? Have you created a tradition that’s become part of your family’s story? Perhaps you’ve found that the slower pace of summer makes birthdays feel even more memorable.
Share your favorite summer birthday rituals with the community, and I’ll feature a selection of responses in an upcoming edition of the Celebrations Pulse.
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Related articles that caught my eye
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Written by our Founder and Chairman, our Celebrations Pulse letters aim to engage with our community. From sharing stories to welcoming your ideas, we want to help you to express, connect, and celebrate the important people in your life.
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